Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have talked about the astounding success of Swachh Bharat mission on October 2, appealing the general populace of India to stop using single-use plastic, but the survey conducted by India Today in Agra, Mathura and Firozabad districts of Braj region tells a different story.

If we look at Agra, the district has nine MLAs, two MPs, one mayor from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a majority in the Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the BJP.

Sewers are overflowing with the locals having to cope up with the stench. Roads are filled with potholes, most of which are deep enough to damage vehicles passing through them. With the monsoon still in force in the region, vector-borne diseases are on the rise due to waterlogged roads. Garbage dumps can be seen on roadsides, from which the garbage flows into the sewers with the rains, blocking the flow.

Talking to India Today, a local sanitary inspector Manoj Kumar from the Mustafa Quarters ward said that over 5,000 people living in the area have become fed up with the waterlogging in the area that has lasted for more than six months. "The condition of this ward has been reported to the senior officials of the municipal corporation but there has been no action," Manoj Kumar said.

When India Today talked to the local corporators from different wards, almost two dozen corporators said the same thing that the corporation officials were not listening to them. Rs 7.82 crore has been released for sewage chamber connectivity but the chambers are still lying open.

In Sadar Bhatti ward, a local resident Sameer told India Today, "About half-dozen chambers near temples and mosques have been covered with stone slabs, rest all are lying open."

Corporators claimed that over 60,000 people have complained about the garbage dumps and sewage in their area, but the officials do not take any action on these complaints. Hundreds of foreign tourists arrive in Agra every day and the image that they take back with them of this city is nothing to be pleased of.

Taking a look at Mathura, the BHP has a majority in the local municipality. All MLAs are from the BJP and Mathura MLA Srikant Sharma and Chowdhary Laxmi Narayan are in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. Despite that, the state of affairs is very bad in Mathura with garbage dumps seen everywhere in the city and overflowing drains greeting devotees as they walk through the narrow streets of this temple town.

Mohd Arif of Mathura told India Today, "The residents of Manoharpura in Mathura have complained several times to the concerned officials but the problems of overflowing drains and garbage dumps have not been resolved."

In Firozabad too, the BJP has dominance, with the MP, MLAs, and municipality, all in the hands of the BJP. This city exports glassware worth crores every month but in terms of sanitation, the city lags far behind other cities of UP.

Heaps of garbage can be seen on main roads as well as small streets in the city that rarely get cleaned. Local leader Sayeed Patel said that may it be the MP or the MLAs, all are engaged in taking care of their personal interests and the local officials are sending falsified reports of the success of Swachh Bharat mission in the district.

Social activist Vijay Upadhyay said that if UP CM Yogi Adityanath did not take prompt action towards the sanitation needs of the Braj region, it could become a setback for PM Modi's mission to end single-use plastics from India. He said, "The departmental officials in the Braj region are not ready to resolve the problems of the local residents and the government is not taking any action against such officials which is creating unrest among the people which could boil over on the streets if left unresolved."