The Bhagwant Mann government has extended Punjab’s Cleanliness Campaign 2.0 till September 12 following a strong public response and resolution of more than 83% of civic grievances, Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains said on Tuesday.
The campaign, launched on August 29, covers all 166 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including 14 Municipal Corporations and 152 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats. Addressing a press conference at MC Bhawan, Bains said citizens had submitted 6,459 complaints through the M-Seva app, of which 5,407 had been resolved on the ground.
Four mega Saturday drives planned
Bains said the campaign was extended following a surge in citizen participation and complaints on the last day. He also announced four mega cleanliness drives to be held over the next four Saturdays, beginning September 12, across all 166 ULBs.
The drives will be organised in collaboration with NGOs, market associations, youth clubs, religious organisations and Resident Welfare Associations. Bains appealed to citizens to spare two to three hours on Saturday mornings to clean parks, markets and neighbourhoods.
The minister said the campaign had demonstrated that sustainable cleanliness was impossible without active public participation. He described cleanliness as a collective responsibility and said the government’s focus was now on institutionalising citizen participation beyond the current campaign.
Door-to-door collection to check garbage points
The Local Government Department has rolled out a comprehensive door-to-door garbage collection system across all cities to prevent the recurrence of Garbage Vulnerable Points (GVPs). Bains urged citizens to retain waste at home until the collection vehicle arrives.
He warned that littering in public places would attract strict fines after the awareness phase. Recalling his recent visits to Kurali, Kharar and Nangal, where he spent two to three hours daily on the ground, Bains said sanitation workers were working tirelessly but government efforts alone could not keep cities clean.
He urged citizens to develop civic sense and cooperate with sanitation staff. The minister thanked MLAs, Deputy Commissioners, Municipal Commissioners, councillors and sanitation workers for their efforts during the campaign.
Bains said detailed data analysis and photographic evidence of permanently eradicated GVPs would be presented after the campaign concludes. He said the initiative was only the beginning and expressed confidence that Punjab would set a new benchmark in urban sanitation through sustained citizen participation.
The government aims to make cleanliness a sustained civic practice, with residents, institutions and local bodies sharing responsibility for maintaining cleaner urban spaces across Punjab every day.
