Bhubaneswar Declared Open Defecation Free

Bhubaneswar: In what could come as a good news for residents of Bhubaneswar, the Smart City has been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) ++ city.

The information regarding the ODF status was announced by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation(BMC) Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary at a special function today.

"We are making a self declaration that Bhubaneswar is open-defecation free. But there are other issues as well that needs to be fixed. Due to the active involvement of four NGOs, open defecation free status of the capital city could be achieved," said Chaudhary.

He added that solid waste management has become a challenge as the amount of solid waste generation has increased significantly over the years.

Currently, the Smart City has 195 toilets including community toilets, e-toilets, Sulabh Sauchalaya and gender-neutral toilets.

Last year, BMC had decided to impose penalties for open defecation and urination. While Rs 200 was fixed as penalty for open defecation, a fine of Rs 150 was fixed for urinating in the open.

BMC had also constituted two enforcement squads to prevent illegal and indiscriminate disposal of faecal sludge and septage at vulnerable places of the capital city. The squads comprised officials of the BMC, Police, Traffic and RTOs to monitor the disposal at seven designated places in Smart City.