The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs held a review meeting on the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U) programme in Chandigarh. Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal directed officials to speed up construction of public toilets while ensuring existing facilities remain clean and accessible. The meeting also focused on preparing for an upcoming 15-day national cleanliness campaign.
What the Minister directed
The Minister instructed that construction of community and public toilets must be accelerated across the city. He stressed that all existing toilets and sanitation facilities must be regularly inspected, serviced, and kept open to the public without interruption.
Officials were asked to prepare actively for Swachhata Hi Seva 2026, a 15-day national cleanliness initiative. The Minister said that during this campaign, citizens should be involved at every step, and their views on sanitation should be taken seriously and acted upon.
The Minister also called for a comprehensive cleaning of all processing facilities, waste collection vehicles, and government office buildings. He compared this to the thorough house cleaning done before major festivals, emphasizing that every part of the sanitation system should show renewed commitment to cleanliness.
Additionally, the Minister proposed creating a formal system where cities share their best practices and innovations with each other. He highlighted how some cities use artificial intelligence and digital monitoring to track waste collection vehicles and gather real-time data. Other cities should be able to visit and learn from these successful models to improve their own processes.
What this means for you
If you live in Chandigarh or another city running the SBM-U scheme, you can expect more public toilets to become available and existing ones to be maintained better. During the 15-day Swachhata Hi Seva campaign, you may be invited to participate in cleanliness drives and community initiatives. Your feedback and suggestions about sanitation problems in your locality will now be treated as important input for improvement, rather than ignored. Over time, as cities learn from each other’s successes, sanitation services and waste management across India’s urban areas should become more efficient and reliable.