Mysuru has been ranked as the cleanest city in India by the union urban development ministry.
Mysuru in Karnataka, the city of palaces, has won a new distinction. It has been ranked as the cleanest city in the country on two Swacch Bharat parameters - reduction of open defecation and solid waste management.
Congress-ruled Karnataka ranks high on the Swachh Bharat list of 476 cities, with four in the top 10. Bengaluru, adjacent to Mysuru, leads the list of capitals and is seventh in the overall list.
There is a lot, say officials, that Mysuru has done to top the list. Open defecation has almost stopped in this city of 12 lakh, they claim.
The city has also focused on solid waste management. Mysuru processes 402 tonnes of waste every day, much of it at nine zero waste management plants jointly managed in a public private partnership.
"There is no such thing as waste. Everything, from medicine strips to discarded slippers, can be recycled," said Dr K S Nagapathi, whose NGO, the Federation of Ward Parliament works with one such plant.
The administration also ran a drive for segregation of waste at source and distribution of three lakh bins to the poorest families.
Credit for the beautiful city is also given to the way it was planned by the Royals of Mysuru.
Many Mysureans said they are proud of the good work being done, but others say parts of the city are still dirty and some have even questioned the ranking.
Karnataka's neighbors in the south too score high on the Swachh Bharat list, with Kerala contributing two of India's cleanest cities in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, and Tamil Nadu one, with Thiruchirapalli.
Karnataka's four include Hassan and Mandya. The top 10 list also features Navi Mumbai, Halisahar in West Bengal and Gangtok in Sikkim.
Among the bottom 100 cities, 74 are from the North. Damoh in Madhya Pradesh is India's dirtiest.