To speed up garbage clearance, Bengal launches ‘Swachh App’

SOUMITRA NANDI, MP,, 31 May 2026, Kolkata: In a major step towards strengthening the Swachh Bharat Mission in West Bengal, the state government on Saturday launched the ‘Swachh App’, a geo-tagging-based digital platform aimed at ensuring prompt location and removal of garbage in municipal areas. 

The programme was inaugurated in Kolkata in the presence of Union minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power, Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and state Municipal Affairs minister Agnimitra Paul. The App will initially be rolled out in 10 civic bodies and later expanded across all urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state. 

Adhikari said that the 10 civic bodies that will be covered in the first phase of the initiative include Asansol Municipal Corporation, Durgapur Municipal Corporation, Basirhat Municipality, Pujali Municipality, Tufanganj Municipality, Contai Municipality, Baidyabati Municipality, Krishnanagar Municipality, Nalhati Municipality and Madhyamgram Municipality. 

“The citizens participation is very much needed in this initiative. People should upload photos of garbage dumped indiscriminately, and through geo-tagging, the concerned municipality will be alerted so that they can take immediate action. 

After cleaning, the picture of that place should be uploaded in the App, which will reach the complainant and then only the case will be treated as disposed of, “ said Khattar. Earlier in the day, Adhikari held a nearly 90-minute meeting with the minister to discuss urban development projects across West Bengal. Describing Bengal as the country’s cultural capital, the Chief Minister stressed the need for accelerated urban development. 

He urged the Centre to provide support through the Urban Challenge Fund for infrastructure and development projects in smaller municipalities across the state. Also Read - Bengal eyes job boost through unused govt warehouses, market stalls Adhikari said that a proposal to introduce city Metro services in urban centres with populations between 25 lakh and 35 lakh was placed before the Union minister. 

“I have asked the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department to prepare and submit preliminary proposals to the Centre. Officials have also been asked to begin planning, mapping and preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs),” said Adhikari.

He also highlighted concerns over rising electricity bills and the need to improve power access, particularly in rural and economically weaker regions. He noted that a significant portion of the state’s population lives below the poverty line and called for wider implementation of the PM Surya Ghar Bijli Yojana for farmers, labourers and residents of tribal areas. 

He added that a state delegation will visit Delhi to coordinate the project’s implementation. Adhikari said that agencies, including Damodar Valley Corporation and the state’s Irrigation Department, would work together to support the initiative.