Gurgaon: After the Swachh Survekshan results were declared on July 17, city residents spoke about alleged data manipulation. They asked how Gurgaon could improve its rankings from 140 last year to 41 this year despite construction debris and garbage strewn across the roads and public places. It has come to light now among Haryana‘s 87 municipalities, 81 local bodies — including NCR cities Gurgaon, Faridabad and Manesar — provided inaccurate information by claiming 100% door-to-door waste collection during the survey.Several urban local bodies (ULBs) recorded less than 60% coverage, with some falling below 40%. According to the data accessed by TOI, significant discrepancies were found between reported and actual door-to-door waste collection coverage across several cities in Haryana. Gurgaon’s claim of 100% doorstep collection contrasted sharply with the actual survey finding of 59% coverage. MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya told TOI, “We will probe the matter and a report will be sought from the nodal officer of Swachh Bharat Mission. We will submit it to the directorate and wait for their review on the same.” In the backdrop of the revelations, Haryana ULB department has written to all municipalities, highlighting such “significant misreporting” indicates serious negligence, stemming from either oversight failures or intentional data falsification. The letter, sent on July 19 to the municipalities, also says this behaviour “damages the state’s reputation” and affects its position in national Swachh Survekshan rankings. The department has instructed municipalities to levy penalties on agencies that have misrepresented facts in their door-to-door waste collection and waste transportation services data on the Swachh portal. The department mandates issuing show-cause notices to the respective SBM nodal officers of these ULBs.Report within 7 daysBoth deputy municipal commissioners and municipal commissioners must submit a detailed factual report to headquarters within seven days, including recommendations for issuing chargesheets against relevant officials under applicable service regulations, read the letter.The communication also revealed that while most Haryana ULBs reported 100% doorstep waste collection coverage on the SBM portal, independent assessment for Swachh Survekshan in 2024 showed considerably lower figures. The ULB department instructed commissioners and deputy municipal commissioners to submit their findings on this matter by July 26.The data inconsistencies extended to other cities as well. Manesar’s reported 100% coverage was found to be only 72% in reality. Faridabad’s claim of 100% coverage was contradicted by ground surveys showing only 35% actual coverage, revealing a substantial 65% gap. Similarly, Nuh’s claim of complete coverage was discovered to be just 54%. Palwal and Panchkula demonstrated actual coverage rates of 57% and 61% respectively, despite claiming 100%. The surveys also revealed Rewari achieving 73% coverage, while Bhiwani registered 48%.“This gross misreporting reflects a grave dereliction of duty either due to supervisory failure or deliberate data manipulation. It tarnishes the image of the state, undermines our ranking in national assessments and jeopardises funding and credibility under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 Urban,” read the letter sent by the ULB to the municipalities on Saturday.However, several cities demonstrated commendable performance in waste collection services. Karnal’s reported 100% coverage was largely accurate, with surveys confirming 98% implementation. Panipat and Samalkha achieved impressive 99% coverage, whilst Rohtak reached 96%. Ganaur’s claim of 100% coverage was fully validated by the ground survey. Among the cities that performed well, Karnal also submitted 100% doorstep waste collection coverage and the survey found it to be 98% on the ground. Panipat and Samalkha got 99%, Rohtak got 96%, and Ganaur’s claim matched with the survey at 100%.
