Sunil Chadha
Shimla:
In a surprising outcome, Himachal Pradesh’s smart cities Shimla and Dharamshala have failed to secure a notable position in the latest Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings, despite an expenditure of nearly Rs 2,000 crore on their development under the Smart City Mission. In stark contrast, smaller Himachal Pradesh towns like Theog and Nadaun have outperformed them, raising serious questions over urban planning and resource utilisation in the hill state.
Queen of Hills slips to 347th nationally, third in state
Shimla, long hailed as the “Queen of Hills” and a favourite among domestic and international tourists, has suffered a steep fall in cleanliness rankings. It has slipped to 347th place among 824 cities surveyed nationally. Even within Himachal, Shimla could not retain its top status and ranked third behind Theog (first) and Nadaun (second).
Ironically, Shimla was once the cleanest city in the state and had been featured among the top-ranked cities nationwide. Over the years, however, its performance has steadily declined: from 198th in 2019, it had managed to climb up to 65th in 2020, but fell back to 188th in 2023, and now to its worst-ever rank this year.
Despite boasting historical importance and being one of the country’s oldest municipal corporations, the city appears to have fallen victim to administrative neglect and ineffective resource deployment.
Cleanliness machines idle, waste segregation poor
Though crores have been spent under the Smart City scheme, including on the purchase of mechanised road-cleaning equipment, these machines remain largely unused. One such expensive road sweeper is reportedly parked idle near the historic Ridge Library, serving more as a showpiece than a functional tool.
The survey highlights that while some improvement has been noted in the upkeep of markets and residential areas, the city scored poorly in door-to-door garbage collection, waste segregation at source, solid waste disposal and cleanliness of water sources. Out of a total of 7,500 marks, Shimla could only secure 4,798 points.
Blame game begins, Mayor questions survey
Reacting to the rankings, Shimla Mayor Surinder Chauhan dismissed the survey results as “flawed” and vowed to challenge them officially. “The city has made significant strides in cleanliness over the past year. We will contest the findings,” he said.
The results have triggered debate not only about Shimla’s declining standards but also about the efficacy of Smart City investments. Critics argue that while the city’s area was expanded to meet central funding criteria, no proportional increase in sanitation staff, waste processing capacity, or infrastructure followed. This disconnect, they say, is now showing in the rankings.
While the spotlight remains on Shimla’s fall, Theog and Nadaun have emerged as the real stars, setting an example for effective waste management and civic discipline in smaller urban centres. Their rise signals that smart governance may matter more than smart-city status. The Swachhata awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan on Thursday.
