Patna: Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) will start door-to-door garbage collection in all four circles from October 2 while labourers will be outsourced for implementing the programme.

A decision in this regard was approved at the 11th general board meeting of PMC on Thursday attended by mayor Sita Sahu and commissioner Anupam Kumar Suman. Around 60 of the 75 ward councillors attended. Right now, the door-to-door garbage collection is being carried out only in five wards of Patna City. PMC rolled out the Chalant Kachra Sangrah (mobile garbage collection) programme in June after services of city-based Nishka Security & Intelligence Services and Delhi-based People's Association for Total Help and Youth Applause (Patheya) were terminated in May. The garbage collection programme PMC started with its own resources in a few wards of each of the four circles of PMC could run for only two months (till July). It is now being carried out in only five wards of Patna City circle.

"There was disagreement among ward councillors regarding outsourcing labour for the programme in the initial phase of the meeting but after much hullabaloo, they finally agreed to it," said a ward councillor on condition of anonymity. "Among other agendas put up at the meeting was drawing up of an action plan to address waterlogging in Kankerbagh and Bankipore. The decision was approved. Work on the action plan will start from this year only.

Some councillors accused additional municipal commissioner Sheela Irani of being selective in action against illegal hoardings in Patna. The PMC commissioner clarified that none of the illegal hoardings would be spared and the ones installed on traffic police kiosks on which closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) were installed would be removed.

IT combat cell

Over 250 residents have registered their civic grievances with PMC's IT Combat Cell, launched on July 20, said PMC sources. The IT Combat Cell is supposed to function 24X 7 and get grievances addressed within 24 hours.

"Liabilities of civic works have been fixed on corporation officials concerned and in case any complaint goes unnoticed, action is supposed to be taken against the official concerned. Residents can register their complaints on a toll-free number - 1800-345-6644 - for garbage, poor drainage, water supply and other civic issues," said a PMC official. He said that complaints related to blocked drain and waterlogging problems were received on Thursday.

"The IT combat cell keeps data of the complainant along with his name, mobile number, ward, status of disposal of complaint and time when complaint was registered, making the whole thing transparent," he said.