The rankings reflect the State’s sustained efforts to improve ambient air quality through targeted interventions, scientific planning, coordinated implementation and active participation of citizens and local communities.
Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) secured Rank 1 nationally in Category II, emerging as the top-performing urban local body in the category. In Category III, Kalinganagar also secured the first position nationally for its performance in air quality management and industrial emission control.
Odisha recorded further success in Category III,
with Angul Municipality securing Rank 2 and Talcher Municipality Rank 3at the national level. The results highlight the State’s focused efforts to tackle air pollution, particularly in industrial clusters and identified airsheds.
The State’s community-oriented approach to clean-air management also received recognition at the ward level.Ward No. 36 and Ward No. 30 of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), along with Ward No. 13 of Rourkela Municipal Corporation, secured top positions in the ward-level clean-air assessment.
Their performance underlines the importance of localized planning, citizen participation and sustained implementation of environmental measures at the grassroots level.
Congratulating the Urban Local Bodies, district administrations, municipal leadership, sanitation teams and citizens, Housing & Urban Development Minister Dr. Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said the national recognition was both an achievement and a renewed responsibility to make clean air a sustained priority across Odisha.
“This achievement is not merely a recognition of our efforts, but a renewed responsibility to make clean air a sustained priority in every city and town of Odisha,” he said.
The Minister said focused interventions in areas such as dust suppression, expansion of green corridors, scientific waste management and vehicular emission control were producing tangible results. He also appreciated the contribution of citizens, municipal authorities and frontline teams, and called for building on the momentum to make urban centres across the State models of clean-air governance.
The State Government plans to further strengthen measures aimed at improving urban air quality. These include mechanical sweeping, scientific waste management, reuse of treated wastewater for dust suppression, development of green belts and green corridors, improved traffic management, and measures to control vehicular and industrial emissions.
Greater coordination among Urban Local Bodies, district administrations and other stakeholder agencies will also be pursued to strengthen the implementation of clean-air initiatives across the State.
Additional Chief Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, said the performance of Rourkela, Kalinganagar, Angul, Talcher and Bhubaneswar at the national level demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted and data-driven environmental planning.
“Sustaining such performance requires strong inter-agency coordination, meaningful citizen participation and consistent ground-level implementation,” she said, adding that the Department would continue working to institutionalize proactive clean-air practices across Urban Local Bodies.
The national recognition of Odisha’s urban centres reflects the collective efforts of municipal bodies, frontline workers, communities and citizens. The State Government said it would continue to adopt a coordinated and outcome-oriented approach to clean-air governance with the objective of creating cleaner air, healthier communities and sustainable, climate-resilient cities across Odisha.
