Bathinda has once again become the cleanest city in Punjab after a gap of two years. The city won the top spot in the state in the Swachh Survekshan 2024, a cleanliness survey by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.

Bathinda also ranked 51st in the country in the category of cities with a population between 50,000 and 3 lakh. The city scored 9,824 out of 12,500 points. In the field survey alone, it got 8,124 out of 10,000 marks, with 98% success in door-to-door garbage collection and 100% in solid waste processing.

Bathinda Commissioner Kanchan Singla received the award in Delhi from Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

From 2018 to 2020, Bathinda had stayed at the top in Punjab, but in the last three years, it dropped in the rankings due to some challenges. This year, the city made a big comeback.

The survey showed that Bathinda performed well in many areas:

98% garbage collection

55% waste separation

99% waste processing

100% cleanliness in homes and markets

Full marks for sewage treatment and cleaning of water bodies

However, the score for public toilet maintenance was only 67%, showing there is still room for improvement.

A big reason for Bathinda’s success was Punjab’s first solid waste processing plant, set up in the city for ₹30 crore. It handles about 120 tonnes of waste every day and turns it into compost and fuel. The old garbage at the dumping site was also cleared this year.

In 2023, Bathinda was ranked 121st in India and 4th in Punjab. Now, with its strong efforts, the city is in the top 51 cities of India and has entered the Swachh Super League.

Commissioner Kanchan Singla thanked the people of Bathinda and the hardworking staff. She said this achievement was possible due to teamwork and support from the public and hoped that everyone would continue to keep the city clean.