BHUBANESWAR: Among the cities that had taken part in the Swachh Survekshan were two good cities from the state - Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. But none of them figure in the list of toppers when the rankings were introduced on Wednesday. No wonder the knives are out thick and rapid, aimed on the state government.
The BJP stated the latest survey exposes the state's failure to ensure just right requirements of sanitation in cities and cities around the state.
"While the state government is doing so much to publicise Bhubaneswar as the smartest city, the sanitation here has gone for a toss. Garbage here gets collected from the doorstep by four private agencies, but they are dumping the waste at different places at their own convenience. The Naveen Patnaik government has failed to establish a solid waste treatment plant in the state capital. The situation is worse in other cities," state BJP vice-president Sameer Mohanty stated.
"The government has failed to commission a proper sewerage network in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, making ground water vulnerable. The frequent outbreak of jaundice in Sambalpur and Cuttack exposes the spread of contaminated water in those districts," Mohanty added.
Reacting to the costs, housing and concrete construction minister Niranjan Pujari stated, "In the last two Survekshans our ranking has improved. This year the final ranking is yet to be announced and only the names of the toppers have been announced in different categories. We would be looking at the areas where we were found lacking and will see where we can improve."
Bhubaneswar mayor Ananta Narayan Jena stated loss of a solid waste treatment plant (WTP) remained the biggest hurdle to the town's aspiration to be ranked upper. "Also, the city is yet to be declared open defecation free, which has prevented it from making it to the toppers list," Jena stated.
"Bhubaneswar might have lost 500 marks due to non-existing solid waste treatment plant and its related parameters. The solid waste management plant could not be taken up due to protests by villagers at the proposed plant site in Daruthenga. But the final rankings are yet to be announced and we can still do well," stated Srimanta Mishra, deputy commissioner, BMC.
As some distance as the folk of Bhubaneswar are involved, they are not too proud of the cleanliness and sanitation. "Spread of slums has led to an increase in open defecation. The drainage is so bad that a brief spell of rain can submerge low-lying areas," stated Dilip Dashsharma, basic secretary, VSS Nagar Development Committee.
The BJP stated the latest survey exposes the state's failure to ensure just right requirements of sanitation in cities and cities around the state.
"While the state government is doing so much to publicise Bhubaneswar as the smartest city, the sanitation here has gone for a toss. Garbage here gets collected from the doorstep by four private agencies, but they are dumping the waste at different places at their own convenience. The Naveen Patnaik government has failed to establish a solid waste treatment plant in the state capital. The situation is worse in other cities," state BJP vice-president Sameer Mohanty stated.
"The government has failed to commission a proper sewerage network in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, making ground water vulnerable. The frequent outbreak of jaundice in Sambalpur and Cuttack exposes the spread of contaminated water in those districts," Mohanty added.
Reacting to the costs, housing and concrete construction minister Niranjan Pujari stated, "In the last two Survekshans our ranking has improved. This year the final ranking is yet to be announced and only the names of the toppers have been announced in different categories. We would be looking at the areas where we were found lacking and will see where we can improve."
Bhubaneswar mayor Ananta Narayan Jena stated loss of a solid waste treatment plant (WTP) remained the biggest hurdle to the town's aspiration to be ranked upper. "Also, the city is yet to be declared open defecation free, which has prevented it from making it to the toppers list," Jena stated.
"Bhubaneswar might have lost 500 marks due to non-existing solid waste treatment plant and its related parameters. The solid waste management plant could not be taken up due to protests by villagers at the proposed plant site in Daruthenga. But the final rankings are yet to be announced and we can still do well," stated Srimanta Mishra, deputy commissioner, BMC.
As some distance as the folk of Bhubaneswar are involved, they are not too proud of the cleanliness and sanitation. "Spread of slums has led to an increase in open defecation. The drainage is so bad that a brief spell of rain can submerge low-lying areas," stated Dilip Dashsharma, basic secretary, VSS Nagar Development Committee.
Smart cities fail cleanliness test
![Smart cities fail cleanliness test]()
Reviewed by Kailash
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May 19, 2018
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