Residents can expect a spick and span city, and brightened streets by Dussehra.

The ball has started rolling with the arrival of first lot of brand new dustbins and the decision to outsource the maintenance works for street lamps.

Fresh arrivals

One hundred new public dustbins have been placed on various streets in the city over the past two days. Also, five compactors, 400 more dustbins and 300 handcarts are expected to arrive within a week.

Patna municipal commissioner Kuldip Narayan claimed that the procurement of these gadgets was a “stopgap arrangement”.

“We are procuring 500 dustbins, 300 handcarts and five compactors through Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) using state funds. Separate bidding for purchase of more gadgets under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is going on,” Narayan told The Telegraph.

Clean gadgets

The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has targeted to procure 2,000 more dustbins and 15 compactors under the centrally sponsored JNNURM by Dussehra. Narayan said the selected financial bids received for supplying the equipment had been opened.

Trash collection

The PMC would initiate fresh bidding process for door-to-door collection of garbage within two-three days with a target to commence the process around Dussehra.

The municipal commissioner said the city would be divided into 18 smaller areas in the fresh bidding attempt for door-to-door waste collection work.

“We could not get any suitable bidder in the last bidding process. After consultation with the urban development and housing department, we have decided to divide the city into 18 parts and float separate tenders for each of them within two to three days. Each area would cover the population of 1 lakh,” he said.

Scheme in a limbo

The Patna solid waste management project, entailing an estimated outlay of Rs 36.95 crore, is stuck in a limbo for the past seven years. “I don’t understand why the government isn’t executing the solid waste project, when it has the money for past seven years,” said Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Kurji.

Smart lights

The civic body has formed several teams having junior engineers from South Bihar Power Holding Corporation for regular repair and maintenance of defunct streetlights.

“Five junior engineers have been sent on deputation to PMC by South Bihar Power Holding Corporation. They are getting accustomed with the work for the past 10 days,” said Narayan.

Narayan said: “We shall float tenders for outsourcing the streetlight maintenance work on principal main roads within a week. The selected firm would be looking after the regular maintenance of streetlights. In turn, it would be allowed to sell advertisement space on lampposts. A share of the revenue earned from the advertisements would come to PMC.”