BHUBANESWAR: The much-vaunted BMC's 'Clean Bhubaneswar' campaign that started off with a bang with chief minister Naveen Patnaik unveiling the project last month, ended with a whimper. Little did the CM know that the movement would last for only two days.
More than a month has passed since the campaign, aimed at sensitizing the people to keep their surroundings clean, was launched at Saheed Nagar (ward no 22) on April 16. It all came to an end after the chief justice of the Orissa High Court inaugurated it elsewhere (Bapuji Nagar - ward no. 47) on April 17.
The decorative "sanitation chariot" (parimal rath) has since stopped rolling the streets of Bhubaneswar. BMC officials had announced that the chariot would move around the city to sensitize residents of keeping their surroundings clean. Some BMC corporators have questioned the sustainability of the campaign. "The clean Bhubaneswar campaign has been a 'much ado about nothing'. I am yet to see any sensitization programme in my ward," BMC corporator (ward no. 22) Umanath Mishra said.
The civic body had promised it would take forward the campaign to other wards in the city and approach all cross-sections of people through information, education and communication (IEC) programmes such as rallies, display of banners, hoardings, staging of street plays and distribution of leaflets to educate them on cleanliness measures.
"Where are the IEC programmes? Sensitization should be made a continuous process," Mishra said. "The movement has failed to yield the desired result. Garbage continues to litter roads and drains remain clogged," another corporator said. BMC mayor Ananta Narayan Jena attributed the delay to resumption of the campaign to some technical problems. "We require certain infrastructure to carry forward the sensitization process in the city. BMC will purchase dustbins and other equipment to resume the campaign," Jena said.
"We would cover the whole city under the door-to-door waste collection programme so as to prevent dumping of garbage on roads and streets. Commercial establishments and hospitals were asked to pay a certain amount to BMC for daily collection of garbage from their premises," the mayor said.
Corporator of ward no. 47, Mahamaya Swain, said, "We had sensitized residential and commercial establishments in the past. However, we would start it afresh." Corporators stressed on imposition of fines on those who litter garbage on roads. "BMC should immediately start imposing fines on people found littering or caught violating any other municipal laws. Those who set an example by keeping their surrounding clean should be rewarded," Corporator (ward no. 36) Sheikh Nizamuddin said.
During the launch of the campaign, BMC commissioner Vishal Kumar Dev had earlier said: "We would involve school students to impose fines on polluters."
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