LUCKNOW, July 18 -- The state capital has secured the third rank among the cleanest cities in the country in the million-plus population category in the Swachh Shahar Awards 2024-25 under the Swachh Survekshan, trailing Ahmedabad and Bhopal, which bagged the first and second positions respectively. Even though Lucknow has achieved the third rank in a new category (there was only one category earlier), the Lucknow Municipal Corporation still needs to focus on key issues such as open dumping of waste, absence and malfunctioning of streetlights, irregular door-to-door waste collection, and other persistent problems troubling residents. The delayed redressal of complaints also remains a major concern for the people of the state capital. President Droupadi Murmu honoured the city during a ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on Thursday. Several projects were cited as key to the city's achievement, including streamlining waste segregation at source to digitizing garbage collection vehicles and expanding composting and recycling infrastruc Uttar Pradesh urban development minister A.K. Sharma, Lucknow mayor Sushma Kharakwal, and former municipal commissioner Inderjeet Singh, along with municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar and additional municipal commissioner Arvind Kumar Rao, were present at the event. With a total score of 12,001 out of 12,500, Lucknow displayed a strong performance in all major assessment areas, especially in citizen-centric parameters like feedback and on-ground cleanliness. The state capital earned full marks in the Garbage-Free City (GFC) component -1,300 out of 1,300-and also scored a perfect 1,200 in Open Defecation Free (ODF) certification. Kharakwal, while reacting to the announcement, said: "This recognition belongs to every citizen, every sanitation worker, and every municipal official. We took up the challenge seriously, and the result is in front of us." She emphasised that the next goal is to claim the number one position. "We won't stop here. The journey to becoming India's cleanest big city is still on," she added. Earlier, a February 28 HT report had highlighted the decline in Lucknow's rankings in recent years, slipping from 12th in 2020 to 17th in 2022 and further down to 44th in 2023 among 4,477 cities. Lakhs of residents participated in the survey, answering detailed questions. An LMC official said additional municipal commissioner Arvind Kumar Rao, former municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh, and former additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava played a crucial role in helping the city secure a spot among the top five in the Swachh Survekshan rankings. As per officials, Lucknow scored exceptionally well in this section. The city established several RRR ((Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) centres and ensured greater safety and dignity for sanitation workers, many of whom have now shifted to mechanized cleaning under the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge (SSC) initiative. "The feedback clearly shows that people feel the change on the ground. They are not just recipients of better sanitation services but are active participants in the system," municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar said. This year's results highlight a paradigm shift in urban sanitation-from a top-down model to a more participative framework. Citizens, RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations), and market associations played an instrumental role by embracing waste segregation, avoiding open dumping, and adopting cleaner habits. In several wards, local volunteers partnered with the municipal corporation to monitor public cleanliness and spread awareness about the importance of maintaining hygienic surroundings. Community-driven initiatives like "Clean Street, Green Street" and "Adopt-a-Park" became increasingly common. "Earlier, we used to complain about garbage collection, but now we segregate our waste at home. The staff also come on time. This result shows that we all did something right," said Pooja Srivastava, a resident of Indira Nagar. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum, deepen citizen engagement, and maintain cleanliness as a shared civic duty, said additional municipal commissioner Arvind Kumar Rao. This isn't just a government achievement-it's a people's movement that's changing the face of the city, one neighbourhood at a time, he added. A private agency working with the LMC in five zones has played a crucial role in helping the city secure the third position, a press release stated. The city deployed EV-based smart garbage vehicles, IoT-enabled street sweepers, fixed compactor stations, and a centralized control centre for real-time tracking under the private agency, the release added....