Bhubaneswar becomes open defecation free city: BMC

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday declared the Odisha capital as open defecation free city and said it would apply for the 'Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities'.

The urban civic body also prepares itself for the 'Swachh Survekshan Survey, 2020' which has been introduced with the objective of sustaining the on-ground performance of cities along with continueous monitoring of services in terms of cleanliness, an official said.

"Regarding the open defecation free status, we are open for third party verification. Gradually, the urban civic body will proceed towards applying for the Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities," BMC administrator and director of municipal administration of the Odisha government Sangramjit Nayak said.

BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary urged people to become more responsible to make the 'Temple City' clean and green.

The civic body has launched a 'Go Green Campaign' to sensitise citizens not to create more non-biodegradable waste in the city, he said.

"There are 226 under construction toilets and these will become functional," Chaudhary said.