Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities need a distinct national framework for urban sanitation and planning. Discuss the challenges and the way forward.

Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are India's fastest-growing urban centres, but their sanitation problems differ from those of metros. At the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 awards, the President called for a national framework built around their needs [1]. The gaps below show why that call is justified.

Challenges

• Weak finances: In Haryana, test-checked ULBs recovered user charges worth only about 0.73% of solid waste management (SWM) operating costs [3]. They depend on state transfers.
• Functions without functionaries: SWM is a 12th Schedule municipal function under the 74th Amendment. Yet tendering and technology choices are made by the state Directorate, while ULBs only implement them [3]. Small towns also lack engineers and planners.
• Missing basics: CAG has urged ULBs to adopt SWM plans and byelaws [5]. Without them, a city cannot estimate how much waste it produces or fine people who do not segregate.
• Looking clean versus managing waste scientifically: Haryana's ULBs processed only 49% of the waste they generated in 2021-22 [4]. Streets can look clean while the waste is dumped.
• Legacy dumpsites: 2,488 large dumpsites were identified for remediation, and over a thousand were still in progress in early 2026 [7].
• Unsafe labour: The President said sanitation technology must be safe [1], but hazardous manual cleaning of septic tanks continues [8].
• Copied models fail: Tier-1 models assume working plants, trained staff and steady funds, which smaller cities lack [1].

Way Forward

• Tiered benchmarks: Build on Survekshan's population-based categories [2]. Pair small cities with Tier-1 mentor cities for peer learning [1].
• Plan-first funding: Release central capacity grants only after a city has an approved SWM plan and byelaws [5].
• Reward processing, not just collection: Give more weight to verified processing and dumpsite clearance. Use SBM-U 2.0 funds for remediation and construction & demolition (C&D) waste plants [6].
• Own revenue: Set realistic user charges so cities depend less on state grants.
• Safe, affordable technology: Set up shared facilities for clusters of towns. Build IIT–startup partnerships [1]. Require mechanised cleaning through NAMASTE [8].
• Feedback as a service tool: Treat each citizen complaint as a service ticket and publish resolution times ward by ward [1].

A distinct framework must move Tier-2/3 cities from campaign-style cleanliness to lasting capacity: plans, staff, funds and processing. Real devolution under the 74th Amendment, combined with participation from the whole of society, would make cleanliness a genuine measure of administrative accountability and advance SDG 6 and SDG 11.