Bhubaneswar: City sanitation and development initiatives reflect inclusive indicators, there is focus on women and special groups like waste pickers who are frontiers, said Dr. K. Rajeswar Rao, Special Secretary of NITI Aayog, Government of India, and New Delhi.
On his field duty to Bhubaneswar, Rao visited Maa Mangala Aadarsa Colony under ward number 14 and wealth Centre near Sainik School under ward number 12 of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).
He was accompanied by Sanjay Kumar Singh, Commissioner BMC and Sangramjit Nayak, Director Municipal Administration (DMA), Housing and Urban Development of Odisha Govt.
The members visited “Maa Mangala Aadrasa Colony” to understand transformation of slums in the city. Under flagship programme of Jaga Mission how slum pockets are provided with different urban facilities like road, electricity , drinking water, open space development, sanitation, development of park and water bodies. What was the situation of the area before and how it has been transformed with the facilities like road connectivity, establishment of Parichaya Gruha (open space development ), child friendly equipment, drinking water and toilet to each family , road side lighting facility, open gym and murals were detailed by the DMA.
Different Self Help Groups who have become the partners of such initiative interacted with Dr. K. Rajeswar Rao and shared their feelings of being partner of such development. “We are provided with all urban facilities and we are proud of being included “told SHG members of the area. The colony is having 135 households and everyone is enjoying urban facilities, added the SHG members.
They visited wealth Centre at TTS behind Sainik School where they saw the activities of Micro Composting Centres and material Recovery Facility. How segregated waste is being collected from households, transported to the wealth center in the Safai gadi, processing of wet waste in the MCC and generation of compost “MO KHATA,” segregation of dry waste in the MRF through different machines, segregation of plastic waste, E waste and domestic Hazardous waste were described by the SHG members who are the working force of the unit.
Dr. Rao was impressed with the active participation of women in such a huge initiative. He also interacted with the SHGs and rag pickers working in the centre.