Archive · 3 Oct 2026
68 Honoured as Visakhapatnam Seeks World-Class Cleanliness
Visakhapatnam gave awards to 68 people and organisations for helping keep the city clean.
The awards were presented at an event held for Gandhi Jayanti.
Local leaders said that keeping a city clean is everyone’s job, not only the job of sanitation workers.
They said people should avoid throwing rubbish in open places.
The city already has modern ways to collect and process waste.
But leaders said those systems cannot do everything if people’s habits do not change.
The district collector wants Visakhapatnam to reach cleanliness standards like Japan’s in two to three years.
They hope this will help the city become a cleaner, world-class city.
Sixty-eight individuals and organisations received district-level Swachh Andhra Awards.
The ceremony was held at VMRDA Children’s Arena on Friday to mark Gandhi Jayanti.
MP M Sribharat and District Collector M Abhishikth Kishore urged people and officials to work together.
The collector said public behaviour must change alongside sanitation workers’ efforts and modern equipment.
Officials called for Visakhapatnam to reach Japanese-level cleanliness standards within two to three years.
- Who
- Sixty-eight individuals and organisations received awards; speakers included MP M Sribharat, District Collector M Abhishikth Kishore, Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao and Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu.
- What
- District-level Swachh Andhra Awards recognised contributions to cleanliness, while leaders called for collective action to improve the city’s cleanliness.
- When
- Friday, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti; the article does not specify the date.
- Where
- VMRDA Children’s Arena, Visakhapatnam.
- Why
- To recognise cleanliness efforts and encourage residents, officials and public representatives to work together toward higher cleanliness standards.
Infrastructure and sanitation services
Public responsibility and behaviour
What is needed to improve cleanliness
Infrastructure and sanitation services
The city has modern sanitation systems, mechanised sanitation, waste-to-energy plants and equipment for removing waste from the sea.
Public responsibility and behaviour
The collector and other speakers said infrastructure and sanitation workers alone cannot deliver the desired results without a change in public behaviour and citizens’ participation.
- Award recipients
- 68 individuals and organisations
- Event
- District-level Swachh Andhra Awards ceremony
- Venue
- VMRDA Children’s Arena
- Occasion
- Gandhi Jayanti
- Cleanliness goal
- Japanese-level standards within two to three years, according to the district collector
- City population
- About 20 lakhs, according to MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu
- Existing systems cited
- Modern sanitation systems, mechanised sanitation, waste-to-energy plants and equipment for removing waste from the sea