Bhubaneswar, Jan 27: With an aim to strengthen the sanitation monitoring system and to improve solid waste management in the city, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has engaged 20 more Sanitary Inspectors (SIs) to keep a vigil on sanitation activities in 67 Wards of the Civic Body by spearheading the city’s decentralized waste management. The newly joined Sanitation Inspectors will start visiting fields from tomorrow.

With this new recruitment, the strength of Sanitary Inspectors has increased to 34 from 14. These new joinees have done Diploma in Sanitary Inspection course and were certified by the ‘All India Institute of Local Self Govt’, a premier institute of excellence to strengthen and reinforce Urban Local Governance. The BMC has appointed this SIs on contractual basis through agency for a consolidated package.

The Civic Body has organized an orientation-cum-training programme for the newly joined Sanitation Inspectors under the chairmanship of Commissioner Prem Chandra Choudhary.

“We have conducted an orientation programme for these newly recruited sanitation inspectors to make them understand the decentralized solid waste management system and to explain their on-field roles and responsibilities,” said Choudhary.

During the programme, the Commissioner urged the sanitary inspectors to make Bhubaneswar a beacon of cleanliness and good waste management practices in the country. As the city’s population has crossed 9 lakh and its number of wards increased from 47 to 67, the BMC had requested the State Government to increase the sanctioned strength of Sanitary Inspectors to streamline the work.

Currently, the BMC cleans ten wards and three private agencies are engaged to collect garbage in 57 wards.