India, Aug. 3 -- Chandigarh has once again stepped into the national spotlight-ranked second in the Swachh Survekshan 2025, India's cleanliness survey. It's a civic milestone, the result of sustained public engagement, infrastructure investment and a visible sense of order. The parks are well-swept, bins freshly painted and awareness hoardings in place. Aesthetically, the city holds its own.

The mood, understandably, is celebratory-cue the dhol, the civic pride posts and the Instagram reels. But beneath the surface, urban cleanliness remains a complex, evolving system-dependent on behaviour, consistency and coordination.

While the rankings applaud structured effort, they often miss the everyday friction: irregular waste pickups, confuse...