SAMBALPUR: The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) has geared up to improve the city’s score in the Swachh Sarvekshan 2021. This year, the city had secured 265th rank in the survey against 323 in 2019. The city holds seventh rank in the State in terms of cleanliness.
While earlier this year, SMC had started expanding its door-to-door garbage collection facility. By now it has already covered all households of the city under the facility. It has also extended the service to commercial establishments.
SMC enforcement officer Subhankar Mohanty said at present garbage collection vans ply on 62 routes in the city. In the evening, six such vans collect garbage from commercial establishments and vending zones. The civic body is also laying thrust on segregation of waste at source.
While the civic body already has a Whatsapp Helpline number and a Twitter handle to receive grievances from people, it is now focusing on popularising the ‘Swachhata’ mobile app of Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs among people.
The app will ensure larger participation of locals in the survey. It can also be used for lodging sanitation related complaints. "If residents give their feedback through the app on the basis of action taken by SMC, it will add to the score of the survey," said Mohanty.
He said public awareness will lead to an increase in the number of users of the application which will help the civic body collect information on sanitation problems.