Bhubaneswar: With an aim to keep the city clean, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued an order on sanitation urging the residents, commercial establishments and vendors to keep two proper size dustbins for storing dry and wet waste separately to hand over the same to the door-to-door collection vehicles engaged by the civic body.
The BMC said that any violation towards not keeping two proper sized dustbins for storing of dry and wet waste separately shall attract imposition of penalty of Rs, 500 only and for not handing over the segregated waste to the door-to-door collection vehicles engaged by BMC shall attract imposition of penalty to the tune of Rs. 500.
An efficient sanitation and hygiene standards hold key towards enhancement of the city’s reputation besides reduction of potential health hazards. Although. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation as an Urban Local Body (ULB) is responsible to maintain the same, but it is difficult to achieve the peak level without active participation and conscious efforts from the citizens as evident in many other countries in the world, BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange said in an order.
The Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 read with subsequent amendments and the BMC Solid Waste Management Bye-Law 2018 also stipulates that each waste generator such as commercial establishments, residential houses, vendors, shop keepers etc. shall be responsible to keep two nos. of proper size dustbins for storing dry and wet waste separately to handover the same to the door-to-door collection vehicles engaged by the ULBs. The stipulations also include imposing of fines and penalties for any violation by a waste generator. Despite several mass outreach program and frequent awareness, such efforts are yet to be witnessed and it is imperative to take stricter measures for the benefit of citizens at large.
Therefore, in pursuance to the powers conferred under Section 343 (a) of the Orissa Municipal Corporation Act’2003, all Waste generators i.e. residential houses. vendors, shop keepers etc. within the jurisdiction of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation shall be strictly required to keep two proper size dustbins within their premises, properly store dry and wet waste in separate dustbins, duly hand over the same to the door-to-door collection vehicles engaged by BMC and ensuring to keep the public area surrounding their premises to an extent of 5 meters clean, the order stated.