The Curious Case Of A Clean Clean Indore

In three years, this commerce-driven city has seen a complete transformation. Here’s how it happened.

- Rashmi Bansal

It is a truth universally acknowleged fact that a hungry man in possession of a good appetite, must visit ‘Sarafa’ in Indore. Jewellery bazaar by day, street food paradise by night – catering to locals as well as tourists. On this visit, it’s the same fabulous Joshiji ke dahiwade and Vijay ki kachori, washed down with a tall glass of shikanji. But something is different.

There is no leftover food, no dirty plates, no garbage to be seen – anywhere.

I am witnessing with my own eyes what the Swachh Sarvekshan Survey had declared on May 4, 2017. Indore is now ranked the cleanest city in India (a massive leap from 149th position in 2014). So, how did this happen? The credit goes to a small but crack team of like-minded, public-spirited people. Fuelled by passion and systematic planning, determined to make it happen.

The story begins long before the launch of the Swachh Bharat mission. Back in 2005, MSW graduate Shrigopal Jagtap joined Indian Grameen Services (IGS), a Section 25 company owned by Basix Microfinance. Jagtap is an amiable young chap who speaks shudh Hindi with a touch of ‘Malwi’ (a dialect spoken in the Malwa plateau of MP).

“Parivaar mein akela main hi job kar raha hoon,” says Jagtap. “Wo bhi in the field of kachra.”

The mandate of IGS was to test out various models of development and implement pilot progammes. Thus young Jagtap’s first brush with the ‘industry’ was a project which set up a plastic recycling unit, to augment the income of ragpickers. But the unit was often idle, as ragpickers did not have a reliable source of plastic waste. Nor did they have any rights over it.