Bhubaneswar, Oct. 18: The municipal corporation here has decided to use Durga Puja as the occasion to launch its Clean City - Smart City campaign.

Well-designed kiosks will be opened at select pandals to promote awareness on five themes - no public littering, no use of plastic during Puja or for day-to-day activities, use of biodegradable items, use of idols in the specially-prepared immersion ponds and no open defecation.

The civic body has also decided to use the drive to project itself as one of the main contenders for the first 20 shortlisted cities to receive funding from the Centre for the smart city project. Of the 100 cities in the smart city list announced by the ministry of urban development, 20 will be shortlisted in the first year and will receive an annual grant of Rs 100 crore for five years.

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) additional commissioner Sudhanshu Bhusan Samal told The Telegraph: "The civic body is going to have these kiosks from Astami day (Wednesday) when the footfall is the highest and people from all walks of life visit the pandals with family members. The civic body will take the help of social service organisations and different citizens' organisations to make the campaign effective and to carry it forward after Puja."

Posters on littering would be displayed at the kiosks to make the revellers think twice before throwing polythene wrappers of chocolates, potato chips, snacks, ice cream cups and other disposable packets in public places.

"Public littering of plastic items becomes a concern during major festivities like Durga Puja and pollutes the city. We want to reach out to the people and tell them that they are soon going to be part of a smart city and should prepare themselves to act and behave in smarter ways," Samal said.

BMC is also planning to use the campaign to display the best practices by its solid waste management and other departments for the people get an idea as to how the civic body functions to keep the city clean. Different types of dustbins and signage to use them will be put on display.

Photographs will be put up to make the citizens aware on how solid waste is transported through different collection points to the landfill site at Bhuasuni.

City resident Subhakanta Swain said BMC should organise such awareness activities not only during Durga Puja but other occasions such as the rath yatra and Ashokastami so that more people get to know about the civic body's activities and how they should contribute to make the city a better place to live in. The various Puja committees have also come forward to contribute to the campaign.

Nayapalli Durga Puja Committee member Nabakishore Behera said: "We are keeping special dustbins ready near the Puja pandals so that the non-biodegradable waste and biodegradable wastes could be separated. We will also request the public not to litter around during their visit to the pandal."