CPCT Test 13
15 min30 WPM required392 words
Click on the passage and start typing to begin.
Municipal services in Bhopal and Indore, the two largest cities of Madhya Pradesh, have received sustained attention and investment in recent years, with both cities emerging as national leaders in urban management and cleanliness. Indore has won the Swachh Survekshan award as India's cleanest city for seven consecutive years, a remarkable achievement that reflects sustained political commitment, administrative efficiency, community engagement, and investment in solid waste management infrastructure. The Indore Municipal Corporation has implemented a comprehensive door-to-door waste collection system covering virtually all households in the city, with wet and dry waste collected separately by a fleet of dedicated small vehicles. The wet waste is processed in bio-CNG plants that convert food and organic waste into compressed natural gas used to fuel the municipal fleet, and into organic compost sold to farmers. The dry waste is segregated and sent to material recovery facilities where recyclable materials are separated and sent to recycling units. Construction and demolition waste is processed at dedicated facilities. The Indore model of waste management, combining source segregation, comprehensive collection, and integrated processing into usable outputs, has been widely studied and replicated by other cities across India. Bhopal, the state capital, has also improved significantly in solid waste management rankings and has invested in a scientific waste processing facility. The Bhopal Municipal Corporation manages an extensive water supply system drawing from Kolar Dam and the upper and lower lakes, treating and distributing potable water to the city's growing population. Both cities have benefited from investment under the Smart Cities Mission, a Government of India programme that funds urban infrastructure and technology projects in selected cities. Indore's Smart City projects have included the development of an integrated command and control centre, intelligent traffic management systems, the rejuvenation of the historic Rajwada area, and public bicycle sharing schemes. Bhopal's Smart City investments have focused on smart street lighting, public Wi-Fi infrastructure, heritage area development, and the improvement of lake management. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban has funded the construction and upgrading of housing for the urban poor in both cities, addressing the backlog of inadequate housing in slums and informal settlements. Urban local bodies in Madhya Pradesh have been strengthened through the devolution of functions and funds under the 74th Constitutional Amendment, and the state government's efforts to improve their financial sustainability through property tax reform and user charge rationalisation.