Bhubaneswar: Very often, the waste left behind after a function or a community feast, poses a problem for the corporation, which has to clear up the heaps of waste and un-segregated garbage in the morning. And if it is left unattended, it is a major nuisance for the people living in the area. Now, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has found a solution by developing an app named ‘Safa.’ It can be used to post requisitions for waste-lifting vehicles.
Hopefully, the step will reduce pressure on BMC’s sanitation teams. The BMC has created options in the app for people to choose one according to the number of guests at a party. If a party has 0-100 guests, charges will be Rs 2,000 and for guests between 100 and 500, the party organisers will have to pay Rs 5,000 to clear the garbage. For a function with guests between 500 and 1,000, the BMC will charge Rs 10,000.
BMC deputy commissioner (sanitation) Suvendu Sahu said the a said “The app is user-friendly and will help bulk generators of waste to get services quickly. If a function organiser posts the details in the app, automatically, the costs will be calculated and it will ask for payment. Once the payment is done, a vehicle (size will depend on the tentative quantity o of waste) will be kept ready. Once a person clicks on ‘confirm pick up’, it will go and lift the waste,” BMC deputy commissioner (sanitation) Suvendu Sahu was quoted as saying by Times of India.
The app is yet to be launched but all the modalities have been completed to make it operational. The app will also have more facilities such as a digital platform to book parking tickets, pay rent for stalls in markets and various penalties.
