Bhubaneswar, Aug. 25: A pre-paid smart card will bring in much-needed change to the quality of water people drink in the city, particularly in the slums.
As part of the Local Self-Government Day celebrations, the city will get its first water dispensing unit on August 31. The dispensing unit will go a long way in bringing purified water to those living in the slums.
Users will, however, have to pay for the facility that comes with a smart card. The pre-paid cards have been priced at Rs 50, which includes caution money of Rs 30. Whenever the card is used, 60 paise will be charged for every litre of water. As in case of mobile phones, users will have to top-up the cards to avail of the service.
The civic body decided to install the dispensing units to raise the city's hygiene bar and provide safe drinking water to slum dwellers. The project had become a priority, especially after frequent outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as jaundice.
The project, however, took a long time to be implemented since the government approved it in 2014. The long time that the civic body took to select the bidder had delayed the project. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation finally awarded the contract to a private firm in July. After it got the go-ahead, the firm started construction of four purification plants and 40 water ATMs. The first of such ATMs will be inaugurated on August 31 at Pokhariput.
The civic body will also inaugurate four community centres in ward No. 22 on August 31. The slew of projects lined up for inauguration on Local Self-Government Day includes a kine house at Jamukoli and the city's first foot overbridge at Jayadev Vihar.
The city has a small kine house at Kharavela Nagar, which can accommodate barely 10 cattle heads. The new project is expected to solve the problem of stray bovines that often brings traffic to a halt on busy stretches.
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they earmarked five acres at Jamukoli in Khurda and had already started constructing the boundary wall.
"The kine house will have space for more stray cattle and reduce chances of road accidents. We want to make the city beautiful and are committed to the welfare of the people. The foot overbridge and the water ATM will add to the existing civic facilities and facilitate the setting up of a smart city," said Jena.
Though a few councillors have raised questions about the revenue sharing pattern and the location of the foot overbridge built on public-private partnership, a senior civic official said that the facility would be a big help for pedestrians on the Jayadev Vihar and Patia stretch.
He said the facility would have elevators on both sides, staircases lined with railings, easy-to-grip tiles for differently-abled persons and drinking water facility. "It is a busy stretch where there is a heavy rush of vehicles. It was a good move to construct the bridge here and will help the pedestrians. It will also reduce chances of accidents on the stretch," said regular commuter Swapnesh Nayak.
The civic body intends to add a dash of festivity to the August 31 celebrations. For the first time, a parade has been organised in which school and college students, NCC cadets and scouts will take part. The parade will be held on the road in front of the municipal corporation office. The celebrations will also include programmes aimed at creating awareness about the civic administration and the rights and duties of citizens.