Bhubaneswar netizens no longer need to visit BMC office, officials to conduct regular ward visits

Citizens will no longer need to visit the BMC office to resolve local issues, as officials themselves will now reach the wards, informed Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Chanchal Rana. 

The BMC Commissioner has directed all officers to conduct ward inspections three days a week and submit a detailed report once a week.

“We are not able to get people’s opinions in every forum. So, not only the Commissioner, but also SC, DC, as per their timing, will visit different wards three days a week. Every week, they will pay a visit to different areas in a ward,” informed Rana.

“We haven’t made it a rigorous bureaucratic exercise. They will take the corporators along with them and meet various associations. They will look into everything from sanitation to slum related services, road, drain services, proper use of parks, advertisement-related services, parking-related problems, illegal encroachment, and vending problems. Our aim will be effective and become inclusive only when officials reach ground level so that people do not have to come to the BMC office but can directly convey their woes to the officials at the spot,” he added.

The initiative aims to strengthen sanitation measures and expedite ongoing development works across the city.

A total of 32 officers have been assigned responsibilities, with duties distributed across different areas to ensure comprehensive coverage. Through this move, BMC expects quicker problem resolution and visible improvements in urban management.

When contacted, Mayor Sulochana Das said, “The work of BMC is for everyone, including officials, workers, the Mayor, and corporators is to meet people from morning till night. We have nothing of our own. We finish our daily chores in whatever little time we get. So, it is not that the decision to go to ground level was taken today. We are also on the ground. Every time, there is some canal to be cleaned, some drain to be cleared, water has entered someone’s house in the rain, and roads are littered. So, I say we are always on the ground.”