Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dhyanchandra H.M. receiving the awards at the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan-2026, in New Delhi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
Two wards under the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) received recognition at the national and State levels of the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan-2026, conducted under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).The 60th ward of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation ranked second nationally in the Best Performing Wards category, while the 31st ward was recognised as the Best Performing Ward at the State level.The awards were presented on Monday at an award ceremony organised on the occasion of National Clean Air Day in New Delhi. VMC Commissioner Dhyanachandra H.M. received the awards from Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh, and Secretary Tanmay Kumar. The VMC also received a cash prize of ₹30 lakh.Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dhyanachandra pointed out that in line with the objectives of the National Clean Air Programme, the VMC has been implementing initiatives focussing on environmental protection, scientific waste management, air pollution control and enhancement of green cover. These include production of bricks from construction and demolition waste, windrow composting for scientific management of organic waste, among others.The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Centre in the 60th ward has been playing an important role in scientific waste management, the VMC Commissioner said. He added that through the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), waste was systematically segregated and recyclable and reusable materials were recovered for further processing and reuse.The Commissioner said these efforts helped the 60th ward secure 190 marks out of 200 and achieve the second rank at the national level.Meanwhile the 31st ward, which secured a full score and emerged as the top-performing ward at the State level, won a cash prize of ₹15 lakh. Measures including vermicomposting practices for scientific management of organic waste, installation of modern equipment at the crematorium to control air pollution, development of extensive greenery along the Eluru Canal bund, and establishment of an Electric Vehicle Charging Station helped the ward perform well, the Commissioner said. Published - September 07, 2026 08:02 pm IST
