Rourkela takes firm steps to better cleanliness ranking

ROURKELA: The Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) is on a cleanliness overdrive to transform the Steel City ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023. Backed with a slew of sanitary initiatives, RMC is aiming to take a three-fold jump from its present national ranking of 156 in the ongoing Swachha Survekahsan, 2021 of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.  

After Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the advanced sanitary management programme last month, mechanised de-silting of drains, removal of dry and plastic waste from roads with suction machine and cleaning of parks with leaf blowers have started in the city. This apart, mechanised sweeping of roads is likely to start in a fortnight.   

RMC sources informed that tenders are being floated for installation of 37 sensor-equipped underground waste bins at primary dumping sites. In next six months, 40 areas would be de-listed as slums after necessary development and provision of basic amenities. The RMC has also roped in two private start-ups for processing excess wet garbage and gainful recycling of plastic waste with help of rag-pickers.  

It is learnt that the city’s open defecation free (ODF) ranking has improved to ODF++. Now, Rourkela aspires to better its garbage free city (GFC) ranking from One Star to Five Star. The GFC ranking team is likely to visit the city shortly.    

This time, the RMC hopes to reach within 50-60th position in the national rankings riding on its seven new micro composting centres (MCCs) as last year, inability to process waste cost it heavy points. Public toilets fitted with hand-dryers, sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators for waste pads would also fetch substantial marks.  

The RMC has launched a campaign asking citizens to vote for Rourkela and is encouraging them to help in addressing sanitation issues in their respective localities. RMC’s ministerial employees have been tasked with voluntarily taking up cleaning work to inspire the public. 

Chief executive officer of Rourkela Smart City Limited and RMC commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida said apart from the sanitation measures, a beautification drive is simultaneously underway. He hoped that the city’s cleanliness ranking would improve substantially. 

In 2019, Rourkela was at a distant 353rd spot while in 2018, it was placed at 304. Similarly, the city was ranked 168th in 2017 while it did not participate in the survey in 2017.