BHUBANESWAR : The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday introduced six mechanical sweeping machines and announced of having increased the road network covered under street sweeping in the city from existing 345-lane km to 715-lane km.
Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra flagged off the vehicles introduced in two packages. BMC officials said the packages have been awarded to Lion Services and Jagruti Welfare Organisation. Each agency will manage and operate three vehicles, they said.
The officials further informed that the advanced vehicles equipped with modern technology are capable of collecting dust particles of up to 2.5 PM, which would help the corporation in meeting the objectives of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
“Mechanical sweeping on NH-16 was earlier limited to the stretch up to Rasulgarh. But now this has been extended to Nakhara. Similarly, the Khurda-side coverage which was up to Khandagiri previously, has now gone up to DN Regalia,” said an official from the BMC sanitation wing.
He added that the mechanical street sweeping will also cover multiple other stretches including Patia to Nandankanan, NH-16 to AIIMS Road, DN Regalia to Kalinga Vihar, NH-16 to Kolathia via Manipal Hospital to Khandagiri Square, Khandagiri Square to Kalinga Studio Square, and Kalinga Studio Square to CRPF Square.
Officials said while only 80 km of roads and 345 km length of lanes were being covered through mechanical sweeping, it will now extend to 166 km of roads and 715 km length of lanes. The service will now also cover some road stretches outside BMC jurisdiction, they added.
Mayor Sulochana Das said apart from these two packages, another package will be introduced soon to cover more areas of the capital city under this scientific cleaning drive.