Why Bhopal Missed Plum Slot Despite Spending Over ₹100 Crore

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state capital continues to struggle in implementing an effective waste management system, which played a key role in its failure to secure the top position in Swachh Survekshan-2024 rankings.

Despite efforts and advantage of Global Investor Summit-2025, which transformed the city by spending over Rs 100 crore, poor waste management and stalled projects keep city behind in cleanliness rankings.

According to BMC officials, Bhopal generates nearly 800 tons of garbage daily, comprising 300 tons of wet and 500 tons of dry waste in addition to medical waste. Yet, segregation at the source remains a major issue, as municipal staff fail to enforce proper separation leading to public apathy.

Flooded Bridges, Slushy Tracks: Tribal Kids Struggle To Reach School

At present, only 20%–30% of the city’s waste is properly segregated. In most areas, wet and dry waste continues to be collected together, defeating the purpose of processing and recycling efforts.

Though GPS tracking systems have been installed in garbage collection vehicles, there is no real-time monitoring, rendering the system ineffective.

The waste processing in Adampur Cantonment has failed. With Bhanpur already overloaded, Adampur is now turning into a new garbage mountain due to lack of processing.

A BMC official said Bhopal’s failure lies not in the lack of ideas but in poor execution and monitoring, which continues to hinder its dream of becoming India’s cleanest city.

Mayor Malti Rai said, "Bhopal will get award by President Draupadi Murmu. Bhopal is vigilant about cleanliness 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we work every day in a spirit of competition."

Only on paper

Several ambitious projects remain on paper. A waste-to-energy plant proposed in 2017 was never implemented. A charcoal production project from four years ago also hasn’t moved beyond the planning stage.

Similarly, the CNG bus initiative launched seven years ago has seen no progress.