Bhubaneswar, July 26: The civic body is actively considering procuring mechanical sweeping machines for road cleanup, following in the footsteps of its counterparts in Chandigarh and Bangalore.

Sources said civic officials were already in the process of putting forward a proposal before the council to buy the machines. Insiders in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation said the machines would be first put to work at the proposed Bhubaneswar Town Centre District along Janpath on a pilot basis.

"We are preparing a proposal to procure the mechanical sweeping machines. It will help maintain cleanliness of roads. Since the focus area is now the town centre district, we will accordingly frame the proposal," said a civic official.

Chandigarh and Bangalore municipal corporations procured these mechanical sweeping machines for their cities in September 2015 and December 2016 respectively. These machines are of two kinds - self-propelled and truck-mounted. Civic officials here have chosen the latter as it suits the city's dusty roads.

"Our officials are preparing the proposal, which will be placed before the council, and then the government, for approval. The automated sweepers will help us maintain cleanliness along the city arteries," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena. He said after the pilot project, they would look at its full-fledged implementation.

At present, major roads of the state capital, including Janpath, are cleaned by manual sweepers who conduct sweeping twice every day. Once the mechanised sweepers are brought in, the workload on the civic body will fall by almost half since there were more than 100 sweepers engaged in road cleaning.

"It is a good plan to procure the automated machines. It will ease cleaning activities and also ensure cleanliness of the road at all times," said Kharavela Nagar resident Aakash Kumar Mishra.

Another resident, Ritesh Acharya of Unit III, said major roads such as Janpath, Sachivalaya Marg and Bidyut Marg should be the main focus as these roads were in the thick of things and took the heaviest commuter load.

"These three roads have many important establishments such as the Assembly, secretariat, and railway station. It is important to maintain the roads on a 24x7 basis," said the corporate employee.

He said the existence of such important establishments had turned these stretches into a hub for tourists and other visitors. "The civic body is maintaining these stretches well, but getting it done by a mechanical sweeper would definitely make things easier. Such steps would further add to the city's smart credentials," said Ritesh.