Odisha's ULBs to prepare action plan

The Principal Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development department, G Mathi Vathanan, has asked all urban local bodies (ULBs) in Urban Odisha to prepare an action plan for sanitation and waste management. This was discussed during a review of the sanitation and waste management in ULBs on Monday. Vathanan emphasized the need for 100 per cent door-to-door collection, effective management of waste centers, 100 per cent construction of toilets in slum areas, and cleaning of drains before monsoon. He also stressed the need for a community partnership model in designing the action plan. The Director Municipal Administration cum Mission Director, SBM, Urban, Odisha Sangramjit Nayak, urged all ULBs to ensure better service delivery for sanitation and waste management. Senior officers of the department, deputy commissioners of municipal corporations, executive officers of ULBs, sanitation experts, and other professionals were present in the meeting. Some of the major highlights of the meeting were that all ULBs must prepare an action plan (Road Map) for proper sanitation and waste management in Urban Odisha from April 2023 to March 2024, and that a community partnership model should be adopted. All ULBs should ensure 100% collection, and the three principles of embarrassment, explanation, and education should be adopted to sensitize households and establishments, along with stickering. All ULBs must ensure the payment to community partners and Tulip professionals by the 7th of every month without fail. The meeting also stressed the importance of constructing aspirational toilets (at least 10 in municipal corporations, 4 in municipalities, and 2 in NACs), and achieving the target regarding LOO. The importance of keeping all equipment at wealth centers functional was also discussed, and all left-out community partners must be provided with a cycle and uniform at the earliest. The department would hold a review meeting after 15 days of this meeting.