3 cities in AP get Swachh Survekshan Mission awards

Vijayawada: Three cities in Andhra Pradesh bagged Swachh Survekshan Mission awards 2023 which were presented in New Delhi by Union minister for housing and urban development Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday.

Three cities, Visakhaptanm, Vijayawada and Tirupati, are in the top 10 cities selected by the Union government for cleanliness and disposal of garbage and other parameters. Minister for municipal administration and urban development Audimulapu Suresh received the awards in New Delhi on Thursday. Indore city in Madhya Pradesh bagged the first prize in the country. It retained its position. Surat in Gujarat got the second prize, New Mumbai of Maharashtra got the third place. Vizag of Andhra Pradesh got the fourth place, Bhopal of Madhya Pradesh got the fifth and Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh got the sixth place.

Minister Suresh said Andhra Pradesh had got three awards and Vijayawada city secured 8,751 marks as against the 9,500 maximum marks set by the Central government. He said the awards are presented based on various parameters: Maintenance of cleanliness, citizens’ voice and disposal of garbage and others.

The minister said achieving awards in Swachh Survekshan Mission is not only getting recognition but it is the responsibility of disposal of garbage and maintenance of hygiene in the cities and towns in Andhra Pradesh.

He congratulated the commissioners, mayors, municipal corporation staff, people’s representatives, sanitation workers, citizens of the three cities. Vijayawada mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi, VMC commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar and VMC officials participated in the awards presentation programme in Delhi on Thursday.