Bhubaneswar: Puri has been recognised as the ‘cleanest coastal town’ in India in the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, marking a major achievement in urban sanitation, cleanliness and sustainable waste management. Housing and urban development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra and additional chief secretary of the department, Usha Padhee, received the Swachh Survekshan award from President Droupadi Murmu at a special ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday.Only three coastal cities were rated in the national cleanliness survey, with Kerala’s Alappuzha, known for backwaters, ranked second, and Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri third.Puri municipal corporation (PMC) commissioner P N Sharma credited the achievement to the coordinated efforts of sanitation workers, citizens and the administration. “This recognition reflects the collective commitment of the people of Puri and our sanitation workforce towards maintaining cleanliness and effective waste management. We are now working towards taking Puri’s sanitation standards to an international level,” Sharma said.The civic body currently manages sanitation across 32 wards and has expanded its jurisdiction following the inclusion of nine gram panchayats.According to Sharma, nearly 800 sanitation workers are presently engaged. Of them, around 150 are deployed on Grand Road, where the Jagannath Temple is located, while a dedicated workforce and specialised agency undertake beach cleaning operations.Puri’s beach stretch, spanning about five to six kilometres, is cleaned twice daily through morning and evening shifts. The city has also deployed mechanised sweeping machines to ensure efficient road cleaning. Door-to-door waste collection and source-level waste segregation have emerged as key pillars of the city’s waste management strategy.Sharma said the PMC plans to add nearly 1,000 more sanitation workers in the coming years. “Our focus is on strengthening waste segregation, expanding the collection system and enhancing beach cleanliness so that Puri can match global standards expected of an international tourist destination,” he said.The Swachh Survekshan 2026, the tenth edition of the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey, was conducted under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban with the theme ‘Swachhata ki nayi pehel – Badhayein haath, karein safai saath’.