Residents of Sambalpur Municipality have a reason to smile as the district administration is drawing up plans to improve the sanitation facilities in the area.

Collector Balwant Singh told this paper that it has decided to install information board, Interactive Voice Response System, biometric attendance machine for cleaning staff and start door to door garbage collection. The information board will be installed at prominent places in every ward and will contain names and contact numbers of municipal staff entrusted with cleaning work of the ward.

The Interactive Voice Response System will facilitate lodging of complaints by the people. They will be given a complaint number which will be processed and the complaint redressed.

“The process will bring about transparency and accountability. It is important that people of the Wards know their responsibility towards sanitation,” Singh said adding that the information boards are expected to be installed by December 1.

Similarly, biometric machine will help check absenteeism which has become a major problem.

Ward Committees will be formed and volunteers from the Ward selected to man the biometric machines, said Singh. Likewise to ensure quick removal and disposal of garbage, door to door collection of domestic waste will be introduced soon.

The cleaning staff will collect the domestic waste from doorsteps and take the waste to vehicles, which will be parked at a predetermined location, Singh added. Stressing on greater public awareness and co-operation, Singh said use of polythene has to be shunned.  This step of the Collector has evoked enthusiastic response and locals have volunteered to extend all possible help to improve the sanitation of the town.