The workers have returned to duty and started picking up garbage from the streets.
As per reports, the BMC has assured the sanitation workers in writing to fulfill their demands of a salary hike in three days and waste segregation in 15 days following which they suspended their strike.
However, they warned to relaunch the strike again after two days if the BMC does not deliver on the promise.
“The government will announce the good news in two days. So, we have called off our strike for the next two days. We will again go to strike if the government backtracks from its promise,” said BMC Sanitation Workers Federation general secretary, Sahadev Nayak.
Speaking about the discussion and assurance, BMC Mayor Sulochana Das said, “We discussed with the workers; the government has assured them to look into their demands. The salary hike has not been fixed yet. We have taken three days from them.”
“They feared their salary could not be hiked once the election Model Code of Conduct comes into force in a few days. But we assured them that once Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik agrees to their demands, it will surely be fulfilled. So, they have resumed their duties from today,” Das said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the sanitation workers of over 53 wards out of the 67 wards in Bhubaneswar launched a cease-work strike on Monday. They demanded a salary hike to Rs 15000 and refused to segregate dry waste from wet waste.
Hundreds of sanitary workers gathered under the Rajmahal overbridge and staged the protest. Their demands included salary hike to Rs 15,000 and no to waste segregation.
They alleged that the government and the BMC have turned a deaf ear to their demands even after repeated requests to hike their salary.
“We want Rs 15000 salary per month. And we will not segregate waste. BMC should employ different people to segregate the dry waste from wet waste. The government has increased salary of almost all the departments, then why not us. We work outside in the scorching heat. But the government has not done anything for us,” alleged a protesting sanitary worker.
Another protester said, “We work for the cleanliness of the City. But we do not even get gloves, or soap. We will not pick up garbage from the city. The authorities should feel our plight as well. They should know how it feels to stay in an unclean city.”
They threatened to not go to work until their demands are met. The strike has disrupted sanitation works in around 53 wards of the Capital City.
While Kulange’s separation has raised many eyebrows, an announcement made by him is believed to have proved costly for the bureaucrat. It is believed so because the government’s decision came just a day after he made the announcement.
On Friday (February 23), while briefing journalists, he had said the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and corporators would get honorarium of Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000, and Rs 10,000 respectively per corporation meeting. He also informed that the decision was taken at the 21st general council meeting.
Moments later, the Deputy Mayor clarified that no decision had been taken to increase the remuneration of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and corporators. "There was a factual error in the BMC’s statement. A proposal to that effect has been submitted to the government. Once approved, it will be implemented," he said.
A day later, the circular of the General Administration Department came, informing about the appointment of Rajesh Pravakar Patil as the next Commissioner of the BMC.
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“Rajesh Pravakar Patil is hereby posted as Commissioner Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. Patil is allowed to remain in additional charge of Commissioner cum Secretary to Government, Co-operation Department and Special Secretary Housing & Urban Development Department, Bhubaneswar,” read the official circular.
“Detail posting of Sri Vijay Amrut Kulange, IAS, RR-2013, Commissioner Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, who has been allowed to proceed on leave for one month as per his request, will be made upon his return from leave,” the circular stated.
However, all their hopes were dashed as the residents continue their struggle with the streets full of craters, potholes and puddles. With the onset of monsoon, the condition of the roads has worsened further and emerged as a nightmare for the daily commuters.
Take the example of Panchasakha Nagar. The incomplete sewerage work and craters on the streets create a mirage of place in the interior pocket of the State. The people residing here alleged that the problem is not new. They have been struggling for more than a year due to government apathy.
Fumed over the sheer negligence, the residents of the Panchasakha Nagar forced an engineer of Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) to wade through the drain water accumulated on the street to realise him their plight.
“The entire machinery is responsible for such situation. There is no coordination,” a local resident alleged.
“I have been living in the area since last three years. The work which was started then is yet to over. We are facing a lot of hardship,” another resident alleged.
Similarly, the road condition in Laxmisagar, Jagannath Vihar areas are no different. The road connecting Laxmisagar chhak to Jharapada is filled with potholes and puddles while the roads in Jagannath Vihar need immediate repair work.
“The road gets damaged even after a brief spell of rain. Substandard work is the main reason behind the road getting ripped off so early,” said a resident of Jagannath Vihar.
“The road is lying in a deplorable condition since the last two years. May it be going to office or dropping children at school, we have to struggle daily for commuting,” a resident of Laxmisagar area alleged.
As the state capital is witnessing severe waterlogging, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to tighten the housing norms to curb the waterlogging problem that troubles residents every monsoon.
No permission will be given to build a house if there is no special place for drains and roads, informed BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange. Owners will be dealt with strictly if they are using their houses for any other purpose other than the reason it was built, Kulange added.
He also warned of the strictest action against those violating the rules. Furthermore, a water harvesting project is mandatory in houses made in 300 square meters area. Similarly, for an area of 20,000 square meters or more, the house owners should have their own sewage treatment plant.
BMC Commissioner further warned that strict action would be taken if the pre-approved plans of houses, apartments, educational institutions, commercial establishments, and industrial establishments are violated within the BMC limits.
The BMC commissioner also issued warnings against those who littered the city. As a matter of fact, today in the Lakshmi Sagar area, the civic body brought all the waste dumped by a shopkeeper on the road and dumped it in front of his shop.
“Our major issues are parking, sewage, and liquid waste management. Pre-approved plans for the construction of houses are not being followed properly. There are several cases of parking violations. So, we had a meeting in this regard yesterday and request everyone to see if they have violated any rules,” said Amruta Kulange.
“We give everyone one month time to rectify the violations. If not, BMC will take strong action as per ODA rule,” he added.
According to sources, the BMC will also send notices to the houses and malls which do not have parking facilities.
“We have initiated a process to identify the persons who have taken approval for a housing plan with parking facility but using the parking place for other purposes. They will be served notices soon. We will allow them some time to ensure parking facility as per the plan,” said BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange.
The BMC has also directed people, who have multiple vehicles, to strictly adhere to parking guidelines and use multi-level car parking (MLCP) at Sahid Nagar.
The MLCP in Sahid Nagar offers parking spaces for 200 four-wheelers, 300 two-wheelers, and 200 cycles.
Notably, BMC has fixed Rs 10 per hour for a two-wheeler, Rs 20 per hour is charged for a four-wheeler. Thereafter, the parking fee will go on increasing by Rs 5 and Rs 10 for an extra hour for two-wheeler and four-wheelers, respectively.
The entire stretch from Master Canteen Chhak to Ram Mandir Square was buzzing with activities while others took the opportunity to wish teams ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup. 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup matches are scheduled to be played at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
A grand welcome has also been planned to accord to the Hockey World Cup trophy in Bhubaneswar today. A lot of people and groups were seen drawing rangoli on the roads as part of the strategy to promote the grand hockey event in Odisha.
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Dressed in traditional Santa Claus costumes and red caps, people thronged the venue after a gap of almost two years following withdrawal of Covid-19 restrictions. Be it dance, painting, cycling, skating or other events, Patha Utsav also provided ample opportunity for Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to create awareness about several issues.
“We have got an open platform after two years; and, we ensured to make full use of the opportunity to dip in celebration, dance and other physical activities during today’s Patha Utsav,” said a visitor.
BMC Mayor Sulochana Das said, “The wait was finally over for Bhubaneswar residents and they are excited to welcome the hockey world cup trophy. The Patha Utsav is a unique platform to showcase their talent.”
(Reported by Niranjan Reddy and Atulya Bout)
According to sources, with few days left for the sports extravaganza, the civic authorities have started evicting roadside vendors as part of the beautification drive of the state capital.
Resentment is brewing among vendors who came down heavily on the municipal authorities for not rehabilitating them before carrying out the eviction drives.
“The BMC authorities carried out eviction drive without rehabilitating us. Besides, they did not even provide compensation for the loss we incurred due to the ongoing eviction drives across Bhubaneswar,” alleged protesting vendors who took out a rally from Damana Square.
They mobbed the office of north BMC seeking compensation and rehabilitation.
A vendor said, “Utkal Nikhila Khetriya Traders’ Trust had demanded BMC to rehabilitate poor vendors before evicting them. Earlier, the Orissa High Court had instructed the same to municipal authorities. But the BMC failed to adhere to the Orissa High Court’s order. Acting against the court’s order, it kept on demolishing stalls of small-time vendors. That’s why we the vendors have gathered to raise our voices against BMC’s injustice. We would intensify our protest in the coming days if we are not rehabilitated.”
Another vendor raised questions on the eviction saying “BMC must have taken this decision six months back. How could it evict us all of sudden without intimating us?”
Criticizing the eviction drive, a third vendor said, “The Odisha government wants us to go to Surat and work as migrant labourers. That’s why it is evicting us without thinking about our future. The government has failed to eradicate poverty. I must say poverty has increased manifold under its rule.”
Meanwhile, a scuffle broke out between the agitating vendors and police when the latter tried to prevent them from entering the BMC office premises.
President of the outfit Pratap Sahu said, “We would continue our protest till our demands are not met. There are 30,000 roadside vendors out of which 15,000 vendors’ stalls have been demolished by BMC. One vendor looks after a four-member family. In this process, 60,000 people have already been affected by BMC’s drive so far.”
These two machines, working under two agencies namely Pratyush and Jagruti, are capable of lifting all types of garbage.
After their inauguration in the presence of BMC Mayor Sulochana Das, Deputy Mayor Manjulata Kanhar and Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange, the two machines are being put to use on an experimental basis. Presently, they are working in Chandrasekharpur area and on the stretch of Smart Janpath.
While the capacity of this Jatayu machine is 1.5 tonnes, it can also lift solid garbage of 9 inches thick.
The civic body’s deputy commissioner Subhendu Kuman Sahu said using these two machines has reduced the manpower previously engaged in doing the same job.
“The machine is being used at Smart Janpath on a priority basis. With these machines, they (Pratyush and Jagruti) are lifting garbage immediately. The number of labourers has come down. Only a driver and an operator are operating the machine. Now they can address the garbage issue immediately,” said Sahu.
It is believed that the civic body would no longer face problems in cleaning large areas such as rally places and festival grounds which has been a headache for the BMC. Sources said, it is yet to be decided whether the machines would be allowed to use in marriages and parties.
(Reported by Bibartan Panda from Bhubaneswar, OTV)
A notice has been issued by the civic authorities directing cattle owners and rearers to ensure they don’t allow their cattle to roam hither and thither in the city.
The BMC has said it is concerned about the stray cattle menace which is increasingly causing traffic obstruction, death due to accidents on road and evasion of tourist places like Lingaraj temple.
It is observed that several of the road accidents are caused due to direct vehicular hits to the animal or because the driver of the vehicle had to turn to avoid hitting the animals on road, BMC observed in a notice.
Animals on the road are accident prone and pose much problems during the night when the visibility becomes poor and movement of the traffic goes faster.
In order to deal with the issue, BMC has announced that henceforth cattle movement on road in the city limits is banned.
Persons allowing their cattle to roam in the city road under the jurisdiction of BMC will be treated as illegal. Such cattle will be lifted and maintained at the AWC at Jamukoli, AWC at Jatni Municipality and Govind Go Sevashram, Puri, the civic body said in a notice.
Currently, pet registration is mandatory throughout India, and all responsible pet owners must get it done with the local civic bodies. Registration charge could be a reasonable amount, say, a hundred rupees per annum. The dog owner should furnish photograph of the dog, anti-rabies certificate and pet owner’s name and address with proof.
Benefits of registration are many. In the case of a dog bite, being a pet owner of a registered dog, the owner can avoid punishment by showing the registration certificate. The certificate works as a piece of evidence that the dog is vaccinated. The pet owner can convince that the victim does not need an anti-rabies injection. In case the pet is lost, the dog tag will help. A registration certificate proves ownership of the dog in case of dispute. A registered dog is eligible to participate in dog shows. Breeding of unregistered dogs is prohibited and therefore in case one is interested to breed dogs for earning, the dog needs to be registered.
Registration with Kennel Club of India (KCI) too helps. The central purpose of getting registered with KCI is to take preventive action on rabies and leptospirosis. KCI provides a microchip fitted collar along with a registration certificate. The microchips contain all information about the pet.
No housing society, as per law, can disallow pets, nor can it ban on basis of the pet’s breed or size. Dogs barking habits would not be a ground for banning it. The pet is entitled to use common facilities like the elevator and park. Every citizen is required to be compassionate to the animals. At the same time there has to be an arrangement that ensures satisfactory community living without hampering it. A well thought out set of pet rules has to be followed in a housing society. It needs to be kept in view that the housing society cannot make dog harassment rules.
A Housing Society is free to frame and enforce rules and regulations for keeping pets and ensure welfare of both residents and pets. Pet guidelines should aim at peaceful community living. Guidelines could prescribe time slots when the pets can access gardens, parks, and grounds. The management committee of the housing society can ask for vaccination and sterilization records in case issues arise. Guidelines can be on designating defecation spots. Society can cordon off areas where the pet owners can take their pets for defecation. Society can advise and enforce pet owners to clean up after their dogs have eased themselves. Society can ensure that when the pet is out of the house and in the society premises, it must be accompanied by the owner or his family member.
For the convenience of those residents who wish to feed stray dogs, the society could earmark designated feeding spots not close to residential area or children’s playing area. The society could liaise with Animal Welfare Organisations and involve interested residents in vaccination and sterilization of stray dogs and ensure that after vaccination, the dogs are released in the same locality they were brought from.
While there is need for quick action for a satisfactory regulatory arrangement for city’s pet dogs, there is urgent need for citizens’ safety against thousands of street dogs in Bhubaneswar. The performance of the Government and the Municipal Corporation, in this area has been grossly inadequate. Sterilisation drive has been half-hearted and has not yielded results. Inadequate funding and shortage of manpower have allowed dog population to increase unchecked posing risk to human life. Vaccination drive is hardly made.
Citizens have chosen their own way to save themselves from street dogs. While many, like me, have chosen to carry a stick, some advocate use of an appropriate dog whistle and dog deterrent spray. Some useful tips for staying safe around an aggressive stray dog include (i) avoiding eye contact, (ii) standing sideways to the dog (iii) let the dog approach and sniff you while you do not make sudden body movement that could frighten the dog and trigger a bite, (iv) yawning, and (v) licking your lips.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. The author can be reached at lonewalker.1942@gmail.com)
More From The Author: Bhubaneswar’s hurried facelift futile, admin needs to focus on ‘concrete’ urban infra
Such occasions when VVIPs visit a place, make many people happy, for good reasons. Renovation works are taken up on urgency and often with huge costs. On such occasions, normal financial prudence is thrown to the winds. The focus is on optics and the system relapses to state of indifference once the big occasion is over. Bhubaneswar would soon host the Hockey World Cup - a mega event, and citizens would experience a massive facelift and attendant extravagance.
Why does the city need frequent facelift?
Let us pitch our study right in smart-city infrastructure’s dark underbelly. A wide road in front of the BJB Junior College Building was extensively renovated; a culvert was constructed to facilitate flow of storm water. All these were done not long ago. Suddenly a loaded truck negotiating the culvert fell into the drain when a few concrete slabs gave way. Now the entire drain has been filled with earth and perhaps there won’t be any culvert. How the stormwater would be regulated is not clear. In the meantime, the wide road has been badly damaged. Road and culvert maintenance jobs, by and large, suffer from quality deficit and public discontent and disillusionment keep swelling.
City roads keep being dug up for many reasons that include laying cables, attending to choked sewer, raising welcome arches for political leaders, erecting makeshift stage for music show. Footpaths are by and large under occupation by vendors; and where these are not, are unsuitable for pedestrians. There are non functional e-toilets, non-functional e-kiosks. Execution of works continues to be clumsy.
Concrete works are hardly moist cured which is a common method that ensures concrete slab become extremely strong and durable. The way splurge is resorted to by multiple agencies for projects with little relevance or little consideration towards quality indicates total absence of accountability and millions of public money gets wasted. All these result in potholes on roads, water-logging, spillage of sewage, outbreak of Dengue.
Discipline and accountability would have ensured a much better urban infrastructure and value for money. It could avoid facelift measures and hurried applying of veneer. Window-dressing culture is now too deeprooted to be dispensed with. Its virtues are many. It generates a feel good ambience, it keeps primary stakeholders happy. The contractors, the suppliers and the supervisors make windfall gains. It makes the soft underbelly of urban infrastructure look healthy. The only segments that feel shortchanged are the non-corporate taxpayers and the citizens. In any case, the prevailing style of governance has ensured steady diminution of these two segments.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. The author can be reached at lonewalker.1942@gmail.com)
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BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulanga was present during the raids.
According to a source, the food safety team led by the BMC Commissioner carried out raids on food stalls and eateries, conducted tests to ascertain the quality of food products, and verified their licenses.
After finding violation, the BMC authorities sealed four eateries and put on notices on them.
The sealed food stalls include ‘Burger King’, ‘Sarala Sweets’, ‘Cafe Odisha’ and ‘Jayguru Omfed Stall’, all located at Patia area.
Informing about the action against the food stalls, BMC Commissioner Kulange said, “The BMC is very serious about food safety because it affects public health. We carried out checks at some big food stalls and eateries. We checked their kitchens, food items, garbage and sanitation systems. Those eateries found with issues will be punished as per the procedures.”
To conduct checks during the festive season, the BMC has formed five food safety teams that will conduct regular checking. Those hotels and eateries found violating the norms would be punished, the Commissioner informed.
Kulange also urged the city dwellers to inform the BMC about the eateries where they find substandard quality food items.
The eatery named Kishore Hotel located near Doordarshan office in the city was reportedly sealed for violating food safety guidelines and not maintaining proper hygiene.
“The food safety team of BMC today inspected shops near Doordarshan. Food colours, expired sauces & stale crabs at restaurant were destroyed. Food registration cancelled & penalty also imposed for poor sanitation,” the civic body announced on its official Twitter handle.
However, a day after being sealed the shop, which is famous for mutton curry, was found doing its regular business today.
Speaking about the BMC action, owner of the hotel said, “As the food licence of my hotel is due for renew, the BMC officials yesterday visited my hotel for inquiry. The officials asked me to maintain hygiene. As the hotel is located on the footpath, I maintain as much hygiene as I can.”
Asked if low quality food drew the action of the civic body, he said, “If the food quality of my hotel is bad, why a large number of people are coming to have food every day.”
The hotel owner has also denied paying any penalty to the civic officials. “I have not paid any fine. The shop beside my hotel has been fined Rs 1,000,” he added.
Speaking about the issue, Bhubaneswar city health officer Depak Bisoyi said, “We had destroyed food colour and stale crabs at Kishore Hotel. The hotel was being operated with just registration, but they should have got a licence. While granting licence, we inspect the quality of water being used and the hygienic condition. Therefore, we raided the hotel and destroyed the food items and cancelled its registration. If the hotel owner is opening the hotel and selling food despite cancellation of registration, it is completely illegal and unauthorised. We will again raid the hotel and impose fine."
In order to decide the fate of the contentious dumping yard, another meeting is scheduled to be held today.
The tussle between the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the residents of Daruthenga area has been going on for more than a year. A few days ago, a youth was killed after being knocked down by a garbage-laden vehicle.
Exasperated at this, the irked villagers stopped the garbage-carrying vehicles from going to the dumping yard. The vehicles are still not being allowed, resulting in the dumping yard near Sainik School resembling a hill of garbage.
The BMC has asked for time from the villagers to find a way out to solve the problem, but the villagers have refused to oblige.
Given the present situation, all eyes are now set on the outcome of today’s meeting.
Notably, a meeting was held at the BMC conference hall on August 27 to end the impasse. BMC Mayor Sulochana Das, MLA Suresh Routray Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh, Darutengha Sarpanch Tapan Kumar Chakraborty, all corporators and senior officials had attended the meeting. But the meeting had ended with no positive results.
However, after the meeting, Mayor Das had said that the impasse would end soon.
These are the three candidates who have thrown their hats into the ring:
Sulochana Das: Das is the Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s pick for the BMC’s Mayor post. Here are some key facts about Das:
Early Education: Binjharpur Village School
Graduation: Bhadrak College
Post Graduation: Master In Economics from Ravenshaw University
Other Qualifications: Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, LLB
Suniti Mund: The Bharaitya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Mund as its Mayoral candidate for the BMC. She is an author, columnist, editor, publisher, producer and director.
Here are some key facts about Mund:
Mund is a native of Nuapada district.
Mund did her MA (Odia) from Bhawanipatna College under Sambalpur University
PG Diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication from IIMMC
PG Diploma in Rural Development from IGNOU, Delhi
Hindi Ratna from Rastra Vasha, Wardha
Madhusmita Acharya: The grand old party Congress has pitted Acharya against BJD’s Sulochana Das and BJP’s Suniti Mund.
Here are some key facts about Acharya:
Plus II: Maharshi College of Natural Law, Bhubaneswar
Graduation: Kamla Nehru Women’s College, Bhubaneswar
Post-Graduation: Arts
Other qualification: MBA in Cosmetology
The development came after the testing of the swab samples of some of the employees on Wednesday. All other employees will undergo Covid test today.
Meanwhile, restriction on public entry into BMC office has been imposed.
Covid-19 daily count in Odisha breached 10,000-mark for the first time in nearly eight months today. The State on Thursday reported 10,059 cases, including 872 cases from 0 to 18 years age group, in the last 24 hours. Khordha district reported maximum 3,188 cases, followed by Sundergarh (1348), Cuttack (870) and Sambalpur (570).
With this, the Covid-19 positive tally in the State has surged to 11,01,606 while a total of 10,48,732 people have recovered from the infection. The active cases have gone up to 44,349.
The enforcement squad reportedly sealed many eateries near Ram Mandir, food stalls at Khau Galli/Food Street, food court of Esplanade One Mall and several food stalls along Jagamar-New Airport Road, Siripur Market and Gopabandhu Square in the Capital City.
The Commissionerate Police and BMC team also sealed a bar located at Patia under the North Zone of the city that was found flouting Covid protocols yesterday.
Purandar Nanda, Zonal Deputy Commissioner (North) said, “We found the eateries and bar running in gross violation of Covid protocols. Therefore, these places have been sealed for an indefinite period. The violators will have to submit an undertaking in this regard following which the Commissionerate Police and BMC will decide the further course of action.”
“The BMC and the Commissonerate Police teams are raising awareness among people to avoid crowded places, wear masks and strictly follow all Covid behaviour. The State government has banned gathering from December 31 to January 2, and hence, there will be no New Year celebrations,” said an official of the Twin City Commissonerate Police.
The Odisha government had earlier banned congregation of people at public places, including tourist spots on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The government has also revived night curfew in urban areas and also closed several temples across the State from December 31 to January 2.
The BMC has also prohibited Zero Night Celebration, New Year welcome in hotels, restaurants, Clubs, Parks, Convention halls, Kalyan Mandaps and other such places from December 31 to January 2.
Picnics/Community feasts at public places have also been restricted by the civic body. Citizens have been advised to celebrate within their home premises with no mass gatherings by adhering to all Covid-appropriate behaviour.
(Edited By Pradeep Singh)
Accordingly, a new Part relating to the Urban Local Bodies was added in the Constitution that provided for --- (f) fixed tenure of 5 years for the Municipality and re- election within a period of six months of its dissolution. Under Article 243 U of the Constitution, duration of the Municipality was fixed for a term of five years and every Municipality would continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer. Clause (3) of Article 243-U states that election to constitute a Municipality shall be completed before the expiry of its duration. Therefore, Constitution mandates that election to a Municipality shall be completed before the expiry of the five years' period stipulated in Clause (1) of Article 243-U.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon the State Election Commission and other authorities to carry out the mandate of the Constitution and to see that a new Municipality is constituted in time and elections to the Municipality are conducted before the expiry of its duration of five years as specified in Clause (1) of Article 243-U.
Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, in their judgement in Kishan Sing Tomar’s case have held that powers of the State Election Commission in respect of conduct of elections are no less than that of the Election Commission of India in their respective domains. These powers are, of course, subject to the laws made by Parliament or by State Legislatures provided the same do not encroach upon the plenary powers of the said Election Commissions. The State Election Commissions are to function independent of the concerned State Governments in discharge of their powers of superintendence, direction and control of all elections and preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to the Panchayats and Municipalities. Article 243 K (3) also recognizes the independent status of the State Election Commission. It states that upon a request made in that behalf, the Governor shall make available to the State Election Commission "such staff as may be necessary for the discharge of the functions conferred on the State Election Commission. In the matter of the conduct of elections, the concerned government shall have to render full assistance and co-operation to the State Election Commission and respect the latter's assessment of the needs in order to ensure that free and fair elections are conducted.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India also held that where the State Election Commission feels that it is not receiving the cooperation of the concerned State Government in discharging its constitutional obligation of holding the elections to the Panchayats or Municipalities within the time mandated in the Constitution, it will be open to the State Election Commission to approach the High Courts, in the first instance, and thereafter, if necessary, the Supreme Court, for a writ of mandamus or such other appropriate writ directing the concerned State Government to provide all necessary cooperation and assistance to the State Election Commission to enable the latter to fulfill the constitutional mandate.
Election to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was due in the month of December, 2018, after expiry of their tenure of five years from the date of its last constitution in the year 2013. The process for completion of the said elections should have been completed before expiry of the term of 5 years as mandated by the Constitution of India.
The Commission, however, failed to discharge its Constitutional obligation and depended upon the State Government for some reason or the other. If the State Government did not cooperate with the Commission for conduct of the timely poll, then in conformity with the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Kishan Sing Tomar’s case, the Commission should have approached the Hon’ble High Court of Odisha at the first instance and thereafter, if necessary, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, to seek directions for holding the poll in time.
However, the Commission did not take recourse to the legal remedy available in accordance to the decision of the Hon’ble Apex Court. Failure of the Commission to comply with the constitutional mandate left no other remedy with citizens other than seeking legal remedy in the Hon’ble High Court to hold the Election to the Municipal Bodies as mandated by the Constitution of India.
For over two and half years, Municipal bodies of Odisha are without elected representatives despite specific Constitutional mandate to hold Municipal Election before completion of the five year term of a Municipal Body. A serious constitutional crisis persists for nearly three years. This has resulted in denial of rights of the citizens to exercise their franchise and elect their representatives to the Municipal Bodies so that these function as vibrant democratic institutions of local government. It is hoped that the Election Commission would immediately announce dates of Election to the Municipal Bodies and hold Elections.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. The author can be reached at lonewalker.1942@gmail.com)
More From The Author: Scope Galore Yet Silk City Berhampur Waits For Its Tryst With Destiny
The repair work will be carried out in 22 drains including ones in ward no-62 of Anant Vihar Phase-II, ward no-51 of Shatabdi Nagar, and ward no-37 of Nayapalli, Behera Sahi before the next rainy season.
“Tender has been invited and in the first phase our focus will be on Nayapalli area. Besides, the BMC has planned to spend Rs 400 crore in various phases to complete the drain repair work in the city,” said Ananta Narayan Jena, Bhubaneswar Mayor.
“In one year it is difficult to complete the drain repair work. As land acquisition is needed for construction of new drains, the BMC cannot do anything on its own,” BMC Works Committee Chairman and Corporator, Amaresh Jena said.
Last year, the road in front of Iskcon Temple, Behera Sahi, Dum Duma area, Dhirikuta slum and Laxmisagar were waterlogged. Moreover, there were allegations of misappropriation of funds sanctioned by the BMC for drain repair work.
After razing down encroachments near the ISKCON temple and Nayapalli area, the city administration is now focussing on unclogging the Drain no 4 near Jaydev Vihar by demolishing the structures obstructing the passage of water.
A joint-squad of the BMC, BDA and Drainage division today demolished an illegal building constructed adjacent to the Drain no-4.
Earlier, in 2006, the BDA had issued a notice to demolish the structure built on 24 decimal land. However, since 12 years, the building had not been demolished.
BDA Additional Commissioner, Bhabani Shankar Chayani said the illegal construction on a private land had been obstructing the road master plan and drain. Therefore, it was demolished today, he added.
The main road in Rangamatia is filled with large potholes forcing pedestrians and school students to use the covered drains. During rainy days, one can easily confuse the road with a canal.
Though residents of Rangamatia have reportedly informed several government officials about the issue, nothing significant has been done to address the problems.
“The road is in a pathetic condition. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) dug out the road for a roadside pond and carry out drainage work. Now they are using soil to fill the potholes on the road. People are crossing the road in precarious conditions,” said Ashok Sethi, a local resident.
Echoing similar views another local, Pradipta Parida said, “We have informed the government officials, but still the road condition is poor. Senior government officials and ministers do not use this road while visiting the area and that’s why they remain oblivious to the problems. We want a pucca road so that people can travel safely.”
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Meanwhile, BMC officials said the land through which the road passes earlier belonged to Railways and recently a no-objection certificate (NOC) has been given to the civic body. Besides, delay in the sewerage drain work carried out by JICA is creating problems for the BMC to repair the road, BMC sources added.
“We have got the NOC to construct a road now near the railway station. Once the JICA work carried out on behalf of the Sewerage Board gets over, the road will be repaired,” BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said.
Talking to media after a meeting at the Secretariat, Padhi stated, “As per the directive of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Calcutta bench, required police security will be provided to the waste treatment plant to be set up by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).”
BMC Commissioner Krishan Kumar, who was also present in the meeting, stated setting up the waste-to-energy plant is essential for a city as per the norms under the Waste Management Rule 2016.
Among others, Home Secretary, DGP, Police Commissioner and Khurda Collector also attended the meeting.
It is worth mentioning that residents of Daruthenga have been opposing the dumping of waste near their village at a dump yard of BMC following which the State government relocated the dumping yard to Tulsadeipur.
However, the government has been firm on its decision to set up the waste treatment plant at Bhuasuni.
The NGT Calcutta bench had ordered the BMC to file an affidavit on the status of solid waste disposal and the proposed waste management plant after a petition was moved by a group of Daruthenga villagers.
The first-of-its-kind centralized command and control centre was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today.
“Bhubaneswar Operation Centre has been inaugurated today. This will help in the effective delivery of public services,” said Patnaik.
The advanced system along with an adaptive traffic signal system will play a crucial role in tracking buses and municipal vehicles from a single place. Besides, a grievance redressal system has also been incorporated within the BOC system.
Official sources said the BOC has been envisaged to keep an eye on several functions like traffic management, incident management, city surveillance, emergency services and disaster management.
A senior official of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) informed that the centralized monitoring system will ensure surveillance on existing public transport system and will be handy for effective emergency response management in the city.
BMC Commissioner, Krishan Kumar informed that the Bhubaneswar Operation Center is a two-year project and all the 50 major traffic junctions along with street lighting can be controlled from here.
GPS will be installed in city buses so that they can be monitored, he added.
Kumar further informed that residents can also lodge their grievances on a toll-free number 1800-345-0061.
Apart from the Bhubaneswar Operation Center, Smart Parks and adaptive traffic signal project was also inaugurated by the chief minister today.
Foundation stones for a sensory park for children with disabilities and an integrated public service building were also laid on the occasion.
The eviction drive was taken up alongside gate no-9 of the stadium. Though the enforcement squad intended to remove the illegal encroachments from Jagannath slum, they could only manage to raze down the Jagannath Temple today as the slum dwellers and locals opposed the eviction drive.
Official sources said all the illegal encroachments and slums that have come up in the vicinity of Kalinga Stadium would be cleared in a phased manner before the start of the major sporting event.
"Keeping in view the Hockey World Cup, it has been decided to clear all the encroachments that have come up around Kalinga Stadium. Today, we had come to demolish shops and other illegal constructions and slums would be cleared in phased manner," said Subhransu Sekhar Mohanty, BDA Liasoning officer.
The residents' gheraoed the residence of Urban Development Minister Niranjan Pujari and BMC Mayor Anant Narayan Jena and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Sources said that residents are protesting inclusion of Badapokhari and Santoshi Vihar in ward no 49 as both the regions were earlier part of ward no 43.
"The area of my ward has been reduced as several areas have now attached with another ward," said corporator of ward no 43, Rajalaxmi Nayak.
Earlier, BMC had approved the delimitation of wards and effecting of fresh reservations at a special meeting held on March 20.
As per the approvals, five revenue villages have been incorporated into the existing 67 wards while the resolution will be placed before the government for its final nod.
The delimitations and reservation of wards have been done taking into account the 2011 Census, official sources said.
Six wards have been reserved for scheduled castes, three wards are reserved for scheduled and out of the 19 wards reserved for OBCs, 10 are for women. 19 wards are reserved for women while 20 are unreserved wards.
"We have to abide by the election process and all delimitation has been taken up as per law. State government can take necessary action if there have been some deviation," said Mayor Anant Jena.
A whopping Rs 2.52 crore is pending against the authorities of Apex Engineering College, Pahala while the lowest of Rs 10,016 is pending against one Ashok Bhagat of Rudrapur, sources said.
The defaulters have been asked to pay their outstanding holding tax by March 31 while certificate cases will be registered against the defaulters.
Senior officials informed that, the certificate cases will be registered against the violators under the Odisha Public Demands Recovery (OPDR) Act 1962.
As per the provisions of the Act, the property and bank accounts of the defaulters can be attached if they fail to comply with the notices served for collection of the outstanding dues.
ECI approved the plan to add 200 new buses to the existing fleet of 110 city buses. The new fleet will have 50 AC buses.
The AC and non-AC buses on a route will run alternatively one after the other, said Kumar.
https://youtu.be/hi0gkLmvRLQ
According to sources, prior permission should have to be obtained from BMC for putting up hoardings inside the city.
In an all-party meeting held by BMC on beautification of Bhubaneswar city, it was decided that all the existing hoarding on road medians and roadside will be removed within one week. Moreover, it was also decided that no hoardings can be put up without permission in areas within the Bhubaneswar smart city which have been identified as no-hoarding zones.
“It has been decided that no hoardings will be allowed in banned areas,” said Bhubaneswar (North) MLA, Priyadarshi Mishra.
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“A squad will be set up to ensure that no hoardings and other forms of advertisements are allowed in restricted areas. Moreover, in other areas like traffic junctions, hoardings will be removed on road safety grounds. Similarly, not more than one hoarding will be allowed on electricity poles,” said BMC Deputy Commissioner, Srimant Mishra.
https://youtu.be/vqWaFOqc3LI
BMC has identified five parking areas where people can park their vehicles by paying a one-time fee which will be valid for two hours. People can park as many times as they require within the time limit. The areas identified are Janpath, Sishu Bhawan square to Sriya square, and from Sriya square to Vani Vihar square, Unit 1market to Kalpana square, Sum hospital square to Nayapalli and Chandrasekharpur to Swosti Premium.
BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the cost of the project is around Rs 4 crore and the administration will very soon call for a tender in this regard.
This apart discussions on other issues were also held during a meeting today.
Speaking in this connection, the Mayor said, preparation of the DPR on the developmental works of Bindusagar lake near Lingaraj temple is almost over. "The water supply to the lake will be brought from Daya river and identification of different spots for various ritual activities at the lake has also been finalised,"
"We have also planned to lease out 72 rooms present in the BMC Keshari mall. People interested for room space have to initially deposit a security money of Rs 50, 55 or Rs 60 per square feet," Jena said.
https://youtu.be/AgPTZM5HhHY
The committee of the Vishwakarma temple raised its opposition after BMC, BDA authorities served a notice regarding the demolition. Even the temple committee has now moved court to seek its intervention.
Though a high-level meeting was held in presence of BMC Mayor, BDA vice chairperson and local MLA to resolve the issue, the meeting ended inconclusive.
BJD MLA from Bhubaneswar (Central) Bijay Mohanty stated that no decision has been taken yet as talks are still in preliminary stage. Appropriate decision will be taken after proper consultation with all parties.
On the other hand, Parsuram Moharana, president of the Vishwakarma Samiti, said, “We want the temple to remain at the same place and will oppose if the government plans to relocate it.”
The temple was established in 1968 in the Nayapalli area and the shrine is the sixth temple of Lord Vishwakarma in the entire country.
BMC Mayor Anant Narayan Jena said that efforts are on to find an amicable solution on the matter.
In a notification, the Twin City police said any organization or person seeking a licence for holding procession, rally, meeting or assembly will submit an indemnity bond in a stamp paper. Besides, the demonstrators will have to submit an undertaking saying that they would be liable for any damage to private or public property, said Police Commissioner YB Khurania.
The move will ensure smooth conduct of rally and protest meetings, he added.
On Wednesday, the BMC had announced that protestors sitting on dharna in the capital city will have to pay a minimum of Rs 500 per day.
As per a BMC notification, if the number of protestors is less than 500, tax of Rs 1,000 per day will be levied by the BMC wheras Rs 500 tax along with Rs 5 for every person will be collected if the number crosses 500.
The notification further stated that one has to pay Rs 5,000 to BMC as sanitation and administrative tax for holding marriages or any other kind of procession.
https://youtu.be/PaAsuW7GLg4
The architectural design of the 12-storey building has been prepared and was presented before CM Naveen Patnaik for approval on Wednesday. The construction of the building will begin from January next year and will continue for at least two and a half years, BMC commissioner Krishan Kumar said.
Apart from the civic body office, Intelligent City and Operation Management Centre will also function from the building, he added.
https://youtu.be/PDX25cT6NTc
In-charge of the PFA centre Amulya Nayak, said, "BMC is helping us in logistics like the bull and cattle transport vehicles and providing other items for cleaning and purifying the premises at Ransinghpur.’’
Cattle, dogs, cats, monkeys, mongoose, squirrels and owls are treated at the centre. Currently seven bulls and 12 dogs are staying inside the centre.
Apart from injured animals, the Ranasinghpur centre of BMC-PFA is also dealing with stray animals. Many people also come forward and adopt them.
"If they give an offer to BMC to set up the second Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre for sterilizing dogs inside their Ransinghpur campus, then BMC will definitely come forward and do the needful as per provisions," said BMC Additional Commissioner Alok Kumar Kar, who is in-charge of ABC and animal welfare programmes.
It can be mentioned here that the ABC programme of BMC is currently being managed through the Veterinary Polyclinic in Saheed Nagar.
Pradhan also alleged that the miscreants even misbehaved with his mother.
The incident occured in between 9 pm to 10 pm. Some persons from an immersion procession of Lord Ganesh idol came towards their house and hurled the stones, said Pradhan.
However, Pradhan was not present in his house during the attack. He said that political rivalry could be the reason behind the attack.
The order came following a writ petition filed by Punam Parida challenging Subudhi’s election to the post. Parida had earlier unsuccessfully contested the election from Ward 18 for the post of Corporator.
In 2014, Parida had challenged acceptance of Subudhi’s nomination paper before District Judge, Khurda alleging that there is complete difference between the candidate’s name in nomination paper and educational certificates that mentioned her name as Dhadi Jena. However, the District Judge had dismissed the petition. Parida then moved High Court over the order.
Subudhi had said that Dhadi was her nick name and as matter of ordinary practice, her parents had entered her nick name in school record. However, she had not submitted any affidavit or other documents to justify the same. Interestingly, the educational certificates accompanying Subudhi’s nomination papers mentioned her year of passing as 1988 while an affidavit enclosing the transfer certificate described it as 1998.
The High Court in its order said ‘the nomination paper was invalid and should have been rejected at the time of scrutiny itself.’
BMC Mayor Anant Jena, who is now in charge of Ward 18 after dismissal of the Corporator, said to OTV that he has sent the High Court order to the Law Department to decide the next course of action. “Meanwhile, all the civic activities of Ward 18 will continue normally under my supervision. We will take the next step as per the Law Department’s guidance,” he said.
Talking to media after a review meeting here, Krishan Kumar said the city has been divided into 12 sectors and 13 teams including one at the control room will be deployed to ensure no waterlogging.
Each team will be supervised by a junior engineer and will be armed with a JCB machine and tractor, he added.
He emphatically stated drainage system cleaning is going on round the clock. “Around 300 to 600 people are working in two shifts to remove garbage from the drains,” he mentioned.
Blaming NHAI for waterlogging near National Highways at Iskcon temple, Pahala and Bomikhal area, Kumar said, “Despite urging the highway authority to build drains for release of excess water, they didn’t pay any heed.”
However, the BMC has engaged 10 pumps to drain water near the highway, he said.
Besides, the BMC has set up a 24-hr control room 06742430038 to take up grievances and help denizens resolve waterlogging issue.
Incessant rains have caused artificial flood like situation in the twin cities today with several residential colonies, low lying areas suffering the brunt of waterlogging as communication was disrupted bringing normal life to a standstill. Places like Acharya Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Krishna Tower, Shastri Nagar, Satyanagar and Laxmi Sagar faced waterlogging issues following the rain. Commuters and pedestrians had a harrowing time to cross roads and people were seen taking shelter below the road over-bridges at Jaydev Vihar, Acharya Vihar, Vani Vihar, Fire Station and Rajmahal Square blocking vehicular traffic.
In Cuttack, torrential downpour filled up several areas with knee deep water bringing traffic to a standstill. Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) used employed 16 volvo water pumps to suck out the excess water while Matrubhavan sluice gate was also opened up to flush out excess rainwater directly into the Taladanda canal.
BMC in its reply to NGT mentioned that the dumping is undertaken as per the order of the Odisha High Court. But NGT has asked BMC to submit the details in form of affidavit.
Talking to OTV, lawyer Prabharanjana Mishra said the NGT in its earlier order has sought the consent order of the Pollution Control Board as well as the steps taken by BMC towards the Solid Waste Management Rule 2016. He further said that two more misapplications were also filed by the BMC.
Deputy Commissioner of BMC Srimantha Mishra clarified, “An Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for environmental clearance has been completed and submitted to EIA authorities. The authorities have asked the Collector for a public hearing, only after which the consent order will be passed and it will be submitted as an affidavit on 30 May.”
The villagers of Daruthenga had boycotted the Panchayat elections lately protesting against the dumping yard. Even after repeated protests by the villagers, administration still continues dumping process in the area. Recently during a protest against the dumping yard, police resorted to lathi-charge and 32 locals were also arrested.
While the villagers demand relocation of the dumping yard, the administration is persistent to continue dumping in that area.
“For a solid waste management project an EIA is required and honourable court should not face any problem in giving assurance for it. Many research and discussions have occurred over the waste management, there should be a final solution for the problem and an efficient garbage disposal system should be set up in Bhubaneswar,” said Piyush Ranjan Rout.
As per sources, State Administration will conduct the public hearing on June 6, which the villagers are set to boycott. The villagers have approached the NGT in protest of the public hearing.
The copy of the letter has also been forwarded to other municipal corporations of the State and all state mission directors asking them to make mobile toilet mandatory at every construction site.
Acting on Centre’s directive, the BMC has directed eight real estate organisations out of 23, which are not providing toilets to workers at camp, to install the same in first phase, sources from Labour department said.
"As labourers stay at construction sites, the real estate organisations should provide them with mobile toilets to avoid open defecation. We have issued notice to such organisations in this regard, " BMC Deputy Commissioner Srimanta Mishra said.
Meanwhile, the Urban Town Planner and Real Estate Developers Association (REDA) has welcomed the move. It said that all real estate companies should follow the instructions of the Urban Development Ministry as a mark of respect to Swachha Bharat Mission.
"We will request all small builders and real estate units to ensure open defecation free environment at construction sites by installing mobile toilets for the workers", said Pradeep Biswasroy, former president of REDA.
Urban Town Planner Piyush Rout said the builders and real estate companies should be directed to construct toilet first before being permitted for any construction projects.
We observed today’s ‘Patha Utsav’ in a different way as it coincided with worldwide observance of international Autism day.
An awareness campaign was launched with several civil society groups and voluntary organizations roped in to make the people aware on the mental health issue, said BMC official.
Autism is a mental condition that usually creeps in early childhood days. The disorder is characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts, said agencies working in mental health sectors.
While the city-based institute CATCH organized activities by autistic kids and carried out a campaign wall with signatures of the participants to mark the international day, Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disability (SSEPD) also set up a stall displaying objects and items made by autistic children. Both these events drew thousands of crowd.
The impressive performance on the World Autism Day, however, came from the members of the Bharat Scouts and Guides under the leadership of their teachers as they organized a huge rally with blue caps to mark the autism say as the day is celebrated with a theme ``light it blue for the Autism month’’.
Awareness on Acid Attack Victims
Students of KIIT University organized street plays on the welfare of the acid attack victims. They also displayed placards to attract people to participate in a marathon on April 8 to further the cause and move more and more people for the welfare of such individuals in our society.
A group of women and transgender volunteers from Palaspalli under the aegis of Saibaba Mahila Arogya Samiti took out an awareness rally to tell people that intake of pure and boiled water can cure the society from the jaundice menace.
The famous weaving craft of Maniabandha Saree from the living Buddhist village of Maniabandha was displayed live at Patha Utsav with many prominent women member from a city-based organization and lady officers of the Odisha Government doing a fashion parade of sorts on the Nabakoti Style of Textiles, which is basis of the Maniabandha pattern and is well-known world over.
It can be mentioned here that in the past the expert weavers of Maniabandha area first presented the Trinity with a complete saree with slokas from Gita Govinda. As per the tradition and legend, the locality, where presently Maniabandha sarees are being weaved had a prominent link with Buddhism and many families are still practicing the Buddhist traditions in their day-to-day lives.
Utkal Divas Celebration
City-based organization Help Mate organized various competitions among children and visitors to Patha Utsav to celebrate Utkal Divas. While 21 kids participated in the drawing and painting competition, seven took part in the dance competition and five in the singing competition. The audience were asked several questions in the form of a quiz competition. Winners from the three categories of competition and the quiz participants were also felicitated by the president of Help Mate Rita Pujari and secretary Nibedita Bhanja.
Emergency Care Awareness
City-based organization from Gandaganar Square Jay Jagannath Accident Helpline and health-care major Apollo Hospitals created awareness on the emergency health care and how the `Golden Hour’ or the first few hours are very important for the life saving act for an accident victim. Both the organizations gathered the enquiries from the participating people and also gave away valuable suggestions for the proper care for the accident victims.
Prajnya, Rahul stole the show
Voice of India finalist Prajnya Patra performed some of her best numbers and the young mass and other received her performance with much enthusiasm. Rahul, the local sensation also performed and engaged the public during his show. The stage II also attracted many visitors in front of Ram Mandir and the people were glued to their positions while listening the performances.
Sources said all the detailed information on number and name of parking areas under the jurisdiction of BMC, including holding capacities of the lots and amount of parking fees designated for a particular vehicle will be uploaded online though BhubaneswarOne website.
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“We are currently uploading all GIS information of auctioned parking lots on the website. If people want to take up parking facilities at other places they can tell us. We will fix the rates and upload all those information on our website. We are trying to finish the work before March 30,” BMC Commissioner Krishan Kumar told media persons.
Hinting strong actions against rule violators especially brokers who try to extort money as parking fees at non designated areas, the commissioner said strong action will be taken against such persons.
At present there are 76 legal parking lots in the city out of which 49 have been put on tender while parking fees is being collected from 27 areas.
Meanwhile, urban town planner Piyush Rout said if the system can be attached to e-complaint system at local police stations then it could be more effective since police can easily monitor the process.
Speaking on the effectiveness of the geo-tagging system, a local said the website is not very user friendly. Besides influential and powerful persons collect parking fees for a place as they wish even though it may not be a designated area.
Such a scene can be evident at Raj Kumar Basti in Satya Nagar of the Smart City. Raising concerns over the issue, a visually-impaired social activist of the Basti, Sanyasa Behera had written a letter to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister Office (PMO) then directed the State government to act on the issue; however, the BMC is yet to take up any step in the area.
“The order of the PMO is not even getting materialized. Who will a common man or a visually impaired person approach with his woes? The celebration of World Water Day can be successful only if the consumption of contaminated water is at least prevented,” said Behera.
Salia Sahi, Manda Sahi and Jadupur (Khandagiri) are some other areas facing water scarcity. Besides, Salia Sahi and Manda Sahi are in grip of Jaundice due to the use of contaminated fresh water.
“Under Amrut Yojana, we have covered all private, government and slum areas in the city. Within one year, water will be accessible to all through stand posts, pipelines and individual water connections,” said BMC Mayor Anant Narayan Jena.
Earlier, BMC had launched water ATM (water vending kiosks) in the city on the eve of local self governance day to ensure sufficient fresh water availability. It had also plans to set up 30 more ATMs and a waste water treatment plant. However, the plans have not yet materialized.
Meanwhile, Urban Town Planner Piyush Ranjan stressed the need to fasten the ongoing construction of waste water treatment plant on priority basis.
To the amusement of many onlookers, the Bhubaneswar Mayor sat on a dharna at the Capital police station demanding immediate arrest of the Chhatra Congress president and niankhunta.com proprietor. However, Jena withdrew the dharna after assurances were given that action will be taken against Itish Pradhan and Pradeep Pandey.
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In his comments, Bhubaneswar DCP Satyabrata Bhoi said, “We are examining the FIR lodged by the Mayor.”
A workshop to this effect was organized here today involving different stake holders.
Addressing the workshop, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said cities need to be kept clean and free of waste burdens so as to make them attractive for economic activities.
“Urbanization creates more employment opportunities and we have to keep them clean through appropriate waste management plan to attract more job creators and employers to the city,” he pointed out.
Emphasizing upon awareness from the time of childhood Padhi asked the Forest & Environment department to initiate a special awareness drive in close collaboration with School & Mass Education department and higher education institutions. He also advised to make e-waste management project an economically viable option so that professional agencies take up the work in a scientific and systematic manner. He also said producers of the electronic gadgets should take up major responsibility for disposal awareness along with their sales campaign.
The chief secretary asked Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to prepare a step to step road map to tackle e-waste issues.
In his address, Development Commissioner and chairman of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), R Balakrishnan said e-waste management need to be taken up as a ‘defining moment & decisions’ in the history of modern nation making as it has massive consequences for the future.
Principal Secretary, Forest & Environment, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said e-waste is an important and emergent issue because of its environmental impacts. “The state government is ready to provide financial assistance for scientific management of the e-waste. The inputs from this workshop would be utilized for preparing a concrete action plan for the state,” he added.
BMC Commissioner Krishan Kumar said BMC is on its way to roll out e-waste and plastic-waste management plan along with smart city management plan. The issue has also been discussed with IFC for partnership. BMC has floated Expression of Interest (EoI) notice and engaged four environmental engineers of whom one engineer has been engaged exclusively for e-waste management.
OSPCB member secretary Debidatta Biswal said that state has already initiated various steps for e-waste management. This present workshop has been organized to workout précised work plan. As of now around 9500 eco-clubs have been formed in various educational institutions throughout the state who would be young ambassadors for the state.
It was decided that the awareness campaign would be taken up from December 15 to March 31. The impact report of the programme shall be prepared by April, 2017 for consideration of both state and Central government.
The ‘Bhubaneswar Patho Utsav’, earlier held in the name of ‘Raahgiri Day’ in the State’s capital city, was inaugurated by Mass Education minister Debi Prasad Mishra in presence of Culture Minister Ashok Panda, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Anant Narayan Jena, BMC Commissioner Krishan Kumar and two locals MLAs – Bijaya Kumar Mohanty and Priyadarshi Mishra.
The BMC will provide Rs 2.5 lakh for four weeks to organise the Patho Utsav, which will be held on every Sunday for nine months.
The BMC Commissioner present at the Patho Utsav stated, “A smart project for redesigning of footpaths will be launched in coming days at cost of Rs 75 crore at Janpath here so that people will be able to walk and do cycling freely. Besides, the child-friendly footpath will make space for vehicle parking as well.”
Also read: Raahagiri name changed to Pathotsav
He further said, “If the smart footpath gets appreciation from public, the project will be taken up at other places of the city in future.”
At the ‘Patho Utsav’, cycling will be promoted on coming Sundays, he added.
This was informed by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena here today. The stretch of from Ram Mandir Square to Master Canteen Square will again be open for various cultural and fun activities on every Sunday from tomorrow onwards. The event will be held from 7 AM to 10 AM.
In view of huge public gathering, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made elaborate arrangements.
Notably, the BMC had sought the opinion from the people for renaming Raahgiri from November 22 to 24. A total of 31 persons had given their opinion through online and offline. Finally, Pathotsav was finalised, said a BMC official.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched the water ATM, where people can purchase 1 litre of safe drinking water at 30 paisa, at Jharana Sahi yesterday.
BMC sources said 40 such water vending kiosks and four treatment plants will be completed by the end of this year. Each treatment plant will cater to 10 water vending machines.
Areas like slums, bus stands and public places like parks where drinking water is not readily available will be prioritised while selecting locations for the Water ATMs. While all beneficiaries under Rajiv Awaas Yojana (RAY) will be provided ‘Smart Cards’ to purchase water, the public can insert one rupee coins to draw water from the vending machines.
BMC will fund the project, estimated to cost Rs 4.93 crore. A private firm will be entrusted with the task of maintenance, sources added.
Patnaik also inaugurated the foot over bridge near Jayadev Vihar where a modern elevator facility is available for the pedestrians. Dustbin, shoe shine machine and mobile charging points are the other key facilities available on the bridge.
The CM also laid the foundation stone for the eight-storey building of BMC's new office at Kalyan Mandap in Unit 8 area in the city. The construction work will be completed within three years at a cost of Rs 50 crore.
The Urban Development department order came after a complaint in this regard reached the office of the chief minister, sources said. Besides, some genuine beneficiaries deprived of the benefit have moved High Court in this regard, the sources added.
According to the complaint made to the CMO, the names of eight relatives of the deputy mayor K Shanti, including her father, mother, brother and sister, and 37 government employees figure in the beneficiary list. Besides, 14 people having their own pucca houses and seven others who have land in Bhubaneswar tehsil area have also registered their names to get the free government house.
Deputy Mayor K Shanti, who had earlier termed the allegation false, has refused to comment this time citing that an investigation is underway.
"This is a completely false allegation. They are trying to create indiscipline among us for which they are making ‘hallabol’ over it," she had said when the allegation was made.
Local residents, on the other hand, have demanded a fair inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the government scheme meant for the poor.
"The poor and real beneficiaries have not been provided with houses under the scheme. Only government officials and relatives of politicians have acquired it. Truth will come out if a fair probe is carried out," said Niranjan Behera, a local resident.
BMC mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said that investigation is underway and the fake beneficiaries would be punished as per government guidelines.
"We are investigating following the letter of the Urban development department. Around eight have returned their houses in Mahishakhal. The relatives of the deputy mayor have applied for deletion of their names from list", Jena said.
"Those who have availed houses by providing false information and have not surrendered the same, would be punished as per norms," he added.
Notably, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had inaugurated the houses for 80 families under the urban housing scheme on June 13 in the presence of Urban Development minister, Bhubaneswar MP, mayor, deputy mayor and some government officials.
Talking to media persons, Bhabani Shankar Chaini, Additional Commissioner, (Enforcement) Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), said 51 truckloads of garbage were unloaded at the Bhuasuni dumping yard today after a meeting with the villagers.
Stating that the police has helped BMC in the unloading of the garbage, he hoped that the people of Daruthenga village will cooperate with the BDA in the setting up of the waste disposal treatment plant near their village.
“I hope that normalcy will prevail in the area very soon,” he added.
The villagers, on the other hand, have decided to continue their agitation in a peaceful manner till the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) shifts the dumping yard and the proposed waste treatment plant.
“We had assured the DCP yesterday that we will continue our peaceful agitation and remove the blockade from the road. And we have removed the blockade today,” a member of the Daruthenga Village Peace Committee member told OTV.
He said the committee will have a meeting with the BMC commissioner in a couple of days after which the committee will take a call on its future course of action.
But he made it clear that the villagers will continue their agitation till both the dumping yard and the proposed waste treatment plant are shifted to Tulsadeipur.
“We demand immediate shifting of the dumping yard and the proposed plant. People of our village are not able to come out of their houses due to the stench emanating from the dumping yard. Even the children are not able to have their mid-day meal in the school due to the foul smell. BMC authorities should come to this place and find a permanent solution at the earliest, failing which we will block the road and continue our agitation till our demands are met,” said a villager.