Bhubaneswar rejoins national top-10 club, Aska springs a surprise

TAKING a giant leap, capital city Bhubaneswar has secured 9th position among 95 cleanest big cities in the country while Aska has been rated the cleanest urban area of the state, in the latest Swachh Survekshan ranking 2024-25 released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on Thursday.

- SUDARSAN MAHARANA @Bhubaneswar

The performance of the urban local bodies (ULBs) has helped Odisha secure three awards at the national stage with Aska and Chikiti being adjudged Presidential Awardees.

As per the cleanliness ranking, the state capital with an overall score of 10,772 out of 12,500, was placed at 9th rank, up from 34 in 2023, among the big cities having a population in the range of 3-10 lakh. In 2022, Bhubaneswar stood at rank 80.