VMC calls citizens for feedback on sanitation measures

Vadodara: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), which has been getting erratic rankings in the Swachh Survekshan, has decided to phone citizens to identify loopholes in its sanitation systems and ensure these are taken care of. Some 1,000 citizens have been phoned every day since last month, and feedback is being recorded.VMC has been trying to improve its Swachh Survekshan rank for many years. It has faltered after getting a good ranking. It reached eighth place in 2021 after being ranked 78 and 10 in 2019 and 2020. But in 2022, the city slipped to 14th and then 33rd in 2023. For 2024-25, it improved its rank to 18th again.
VMC now intends to ensure the improvement continues. Last year, VMC roped in a consulting firm that had worked with other civic bodies. VMC commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu has been making surprise inspections of wards to check on sanitation measures.For a month, VMC has been calling citizens for feedback. The VMC's call centre calls 50 persons in each ward every day. The remaining calls are at random, to make sure 1,000 persons are reached. So far, 30,000 citizens have been contacted in this manner.Babu said citizen feedback is taken on two aspects. "We ask them if they are satisfied with the sanitation in their area and if the door-to-door garbage collection is regular," he said. The wards are then ranked in three groups every week — the top, middle and bottom five.Every week, ward officials are called for reviews and the weekly rankings are discussed. "Wards that rank well are appreciated, and others are given suggestions for improvement," the civic chief said.A similar analysis of the top-performing wards will be done based on monthly data. VMC plans to felicitate sanitation workers from the wards that do well. At the other end, the lagging ones will be closely monitored, and if any dereliction is found, action may also be taken.