Visakhapatnam: GVMC sets sight on getting top rank in Swachh Sarvekshan 2023

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is gearing up for the eight edition of Swachh Survekshan 2023 – Mera Shehar, Meri Pehachan (SS-2023) - for which field assessment will begin from July 1 with around 3,000 assessors across the country

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is gearing up for the eight edition of Swachh Survekshan 2023 – Mera Shehar, Meri Pehachan (SS-2023) - for which field assessment will begin from July 1 with around 3,000 assessors across the country.

The assessors will study the performance of 4,500 plus cities, including Visakhapatnam, on 46 indicators, within a month. The assessment report will be released in the form of scores in each parameter. Total marks are 9,500. It includes 4,525 marks for citizen services, 2,500 for certificates and awards and 2,475 marks for citizens’ feedback.

The SS 2023 was launched on May 24 in 2022 with telephonic feedback from citizens. The assessment is carried out in four quarters. First three quarters have been completed. The last one will start in July. The teams will have two levels of quality checks for evidence, and surprise field visits. The Ministry will also send a core team to various cities to monitor the assessment process.

GVMC commissioner C.M. Saikanth Varma said that assessors will visit the city in the first or second week of July. GVMC has taken several measures to make the city competitively ready on all 46 indicators to be the topper in the SS 2023 rankings.

“For the G-20 Summit Working Group Committee meeting held in the city earlier this year, GVMC had spent around ₹110 crore on infrastructure development works, and also completed the biomining of around 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. We have covered all the areas required for a good score in the assessment. We hope we will get top 1 rank this year,” Mr. Varma told The Hindu.

Deputy mayor Jiyyani Sridhar said that the GVMC also took up new works of developing 20 odd bus stops as model bus stops like the one at the AU’s out gate, from Visakhapatnam Airport to Bheemili.

The SS 2023 indicators focus on parameters like progress of segregated household waste collection, zero waste events, disabled-friendly toilets, plastic waste management, conversion of manholes to machine holes, wonder parks, red spots (spitting in commercial/ residential area).