Cleanliness gaps remain in parts of Doon as MCD moves to improve Swachh Survey ranking
ANJALI YADAV/ Dehradun
As the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) steps up its cleanliness efforts across the city to improve its Swachhata Survey 2026 ranking, many residents in parts of the city say that they are still dealing with issues such as garbage dumping in public places, construction material lying on footpaths and lack of regular maintenance in some areas.
On Lakshmi Road, locals pointed out that garbage has been lying on a roadside plot for several days, causing a stench and inconvenience for people living nearby and those passing through the area. The waste mainly includes plastic, polythene and other discarded material. Localite Bajrang Singh said that the plot has been lying vacant for years and has now turned into a daily dumping ground. “People from nearby houses dump their garbage bags into this plot every morning. Residents can easily use the MCD’s waste collection vehicle, but instead choose to save Rs 70, ignoring the long-term environmental damage their actions are causing and the growing health risk for the neighbourhood,” he said.
Other residents in the locality also said that large pipes have been lying on the footpath in front of the plot for over a month, narrowing the walking space for pedestrians. Overgrown grass and bushes have further made the footpath difficult to use, forcing some pedestrians to walk on the road, Singh said.
Tanya Rawat said that locals have raised the issue earlier and they are hoping for quick action, especially with the monsoon season approaching in a few months. Rawat said that she is worried that the garbage piling up may lead to rapid mosquito growth in the area. On being informed about the issues, assistant municipal commissioner Rajveer Singh Chauhan said that a notice will be issued to the plot owner and the matter will be resolved soon.
Officials said that sanitation work is being carried out in different wards as part of preparations for the Swachhata Survey 2026. The Swachh Survekshan 2026 framework has a total of 10,500 marks, divided across 10 key parameters to assess city cleanliness and sanitation performance. These include visible cleanliness, solid waste management, waste segregation, sanitation access and used water management, among others. It will be recalled that last year, the MCD secured the 62nd position in the survey.
