Agartala Municipal Corporation Team Visits BMC; Praises Community Involvement and SHG Participation in Development Initiatives

Bhubaneswar: A team from Agartala Municipal Corporation visited Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area as part of the interstate cross-learning of best practices by women SHGs under ‘Swachhata Yatra’.

The team lauded the BMC’s efforts in ensuring community involvement and SHG participation in various development initiatives.

The team comprising Self Help Group members and Community Organisers has been exposed to different development initiatives of the BMC. As part of their learning programme the team members involved in National Urban Livelihood (DAY NULM) and Sanitation programme in their city visited four different places namely, FSTP(Faceal Sludge and Treatment Plant) Basuaghai,Wealth Centre at TTS, Aahar Centre at Capital Hospital and Mo Khata Kiosk at Rajmahal.

Community driven sanitation initiatives being core strategy of BMC is paid visit by different visitors across the country. The FSTP which has established its countrywide recognition is a commendable sewage management system being handled by SHG mebers. This 75 KLD capacity unit at Basuaghai has the operation and management undertaken by SHGs where it motivates other SHGs to come up and take up similar activities. Team today has also appreciated the Micro Composting Centres (MCCs) and Material Recovery Facilities at TTS and they could know the community involvement in source segregation , door to door collection, processing of segregated waste and Mo Khata (bio compost).

Under flagship programme, team on exposure had been to the Aahar centre at Capital Hospital. They interacted with the SHGs managing the centre along with citizens taking meal by the time. Being a core group of SHGs the visitors could know the depth of involvement of SHGs in different initiatives of BMC and process of women empowerment in the ULB.

However, on arrival of the team members, they were taken to state urban development agency (SUDA) where Project Director Sarada Prasad Panda advised them to get exposure of projects and share the lesson learnt. Team BMC on instruction of Addl. Commissioner BMC Suvendu Kumar Sahoo facilitated the exposure.