How an IAS Officer Transformed Lucknow into India’s 3rd Cleanest City in Just 3 Years

In June 2022, when Indrajeet Singh, a 2016-batch IAS officer, took charge as Lucknow’s Municipal Commissioner, the “City of Nawabs” was far from living up to its royal heritage in one crucial aspect: cleanliness.

For over a decade, Lucknow had lived with unprocessed legacy waste. Mountains of rotting garbage, mixed with plastic and biomedical residue, towered at two massive dumping grounds in Ghaila and Shivari. During the monsoons, the situation worsened. Leachate oozed out of the heaps, contaminating groundwater.

Singh recalls a sobering statistic: “The BOD-COD [Biochemical Oxygen Demand–Chemical Oxygen Demand] level of untreated leachate touched 3,000. For context, in a sewer it’s 350. Imagine the cancerous impact if this entered the water table.”

But the real issue wasn’t just the waste.

“It was the mindset,” Singh explains. “Waste was collected and dumped—end of responsibility. Neither corporators, contractors, nor workers saw processing as their job. I realised that unless this attitude changed, no amount of infrastructure or funds would help.”

By April 2025, the story had flipped. Lucknow had leapt from 44th to 3rd place in the Swachh Survekshan rankings, scripting one of India’s most remarkable urban transformation stories. Behind this turnaround was Singh’s blend of technical know-how, people-centric leadership, and an unshakeable belief in what he calls “sewa (selfless service) through governance.”

Breaking barriers: The first steps

Singh’s initial move was to initiate open discussions with stakeholders. Rather than limiting the conversation to internal meetings, he addressed corporators, municipal employees, and citizens in public forums.

Using presentations with slides, photographs, and data, he explained the risks posed by untreated waste and outlined how systematic processing could reshape Lucknow’s waste management framework. His approach was clear: awareness before enforcement.

Corporators became stakeholders rather than passive representatives. About 110 contractors were brought on board to ensure accountability. Workers, often neglected, were placed at the centre of reform.

“We had 12,000 sanitation workers. Many had salary irregularities; some didn’t get paid on time. So, how could they feel motivated to work? We fixed salaries, ensured payments before the fifth of every month, and even cleared dues. That alone changed attitudes,” says Singh.

To inspire innovation, he also sent small teams of workers and staff to Pune, Indore, and Bengaluru—cities that had already cracked cleanliness codes. “The trips weren’t just training, they were inspiration,” he shares.

The turning point: Shivari garbage unit

Every transformation has a flagship project, and for Lucknow, it was the Shivari plant. Initially, the team didn’t even know where to begin. They floated tenders, held conferences, and learnt from other cities. Eventually, Shivari became the nerve centre of Lucknow’s waste revolution.

Here’s what it achieved:

• Processing legacy waste: Millions of tonnes of old waste were scientifically treated.
  

• Fresh waste management: A 2,100-tonne-per-day plant now processes 100% of the city’s daily garbage.
  

• By-products: Compost, RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel), and recyclables are sent to cement plants and industries under EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) guidelines.
  

• Leachate treatment: A dedicated plant ensures pollutants don’t poison the soil.
  

• Energy integration: A 2 MW solar unit reduces electricity costs by Rs 20 lakh per month.
  

The result? Lucknow became Uttar Pradesh’s first net-zero waste dump city.

Citizens at the heart of change

While the backend transformation was technical, Singh knew real change required winning citizens’ hearts and habits.

• Door-to-door collection: Over 1,250 electric vehicles were deployed, covering nearly 7.5 lakh households.
  

• IEC campaigns: Schools, colleges, bus stops, and radio stations became platforms to talk about segregation, composting, and cleanliness.
  

• Awareness drives: From tree plantations to composting workshops, behaviour change was emphasised as much as infrastructure.
  

Lucknow’s residents, once indifferent, began to take pride. “Garbage vulnerable points” were transformed into selfie spots, skating rinks, and parks. Iconic spaces such as Uttar Pradesh Darshan Park showcased replicas of monuments built entirely from waste.

Waste to Wealth: Innovation in action

Singh’s tenure was marked by turning problems into opportunities:

• Bio-CNG and Bio-CBG plants: Two facilities under construction promise cleaner waste processing and annual revenues of Rs 85 lakh.
  

• C&D waste recycling: A 300-tonne-per-day plant at Harikansh Garhi now turns debris into paver blocks.
  

• Plastic waste roads: Nearly 10 tonnes of plastic waste were used to build city roads.
  

• CSR partnerships: Organisations including HAL and Adani Airports contributed through funding bins and awareness campaigns.

Dignity for sanitation workers

Perhaps the most overlooked reform was formalising the informal sector. Singh worked to provide EPF deductions, social security, and training for workers.

“If we treat them as invisible, the city will remain dirty. But if we dignify their work, they will perform wonders. Formalising them is the future,” he says.

For Neeraj, a sanitation worker from Rajajipuram who has dedicated 15 years to keeping the city clean, Singh’s leadership was transformative.

“Our salaries used to be delayed for two to three months. We survived by borrowing for rations. But when (Indrajeet) sir took charge, he cleared all pending dues himself. Now, I receive my monthly salary of around Rs 8,000 on time, along with medical support,” Neeraj shares.

Beyond financial stability, workers were given gloves, masks, and equipment for the first time. Singh personally visited them, listening to their concerns—something unprecedented.

A cleaner, greener, healthier Lucknow

By April 2025, the results were visible:

• Swachh Survekshan: Rank jumped from 44th to 3rd in just three years.
  

• Air quality: PM10 levels reduced by 41% compared with 2017–18.
  

• Public health: With leachate treated and garbage disposed of scientifically, disease risks fell drastically.
  

• Citizen pride: Clean streets, beautified parks, and awareness campaigns instilled ownership among Lucknowites.
  

Even as Singh moved on to lead the Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA), his reflections on Lucknow remain deeply personal.

“For me, this wasn’t just a project. It was fulfilling because it allowed me to serve communities directly. Gurbani teaches us the value of sewa, and this was my sewa through governance.”

He envisions seventh-generation waste-to-energy plants and continued citizen participation as the future of India’s urban sanitation. His belief is simple:

“If cities just implement Swachh Bharat guidelines sincerely, clean and sustainable living is not a dream — it’s a guarantee.”

(All images courtesy: Jitendra Verma, Lucknow.)