Sambalpur, May 4: Pradhanpara resident Amit Mohanty does not have to come across heaps of garbage piled alongside roads every time he comes out of his house in the morning.

The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation's move to extend door-to-door garbage collection to new localities has saved Mohanty from the stink as well as the eyesore. Now, every day within 8am, the civic body workers collect garbage from his doorstep.

"It's a welcome step. Door-to-door garbage collection is helping to keep our locality clean. Since the service was implemented, the garbage-collection vehicles have been coming to our area and lifting waste from the doorstep. The civic body should implement the service across the city to improve its sanitation," said Mohanty.

The new areas, which have been brought under the service, include Bhatra, Commissioner Colony, Kumbharpara, Gobindtola, Motijharan, Charbhati, Putibandh, Deer Park, Binakhandi, P&T Colony, Stadium and Sunapali. "We have a proposal to extend the service to the all the households of Sambalpur, Burla and Hirakud," said the corporation's deputy commissioner Sudhansu Bhoi.

Earlier, the residents had to dump garbage in dustbins installed in their localities. Later, the civic body's sanitation workers would lift the garbage.

On June 1 last year, the corporation started door-to-door garbage collection within the municipal limits, bringing around 8,000 households under the service. At that time, it had engaged 10 vehicles to cover Budharaja, Ainthapali, , Anguliapara, Jagannath Colony, Mahabirpara, Sakhipara, Subham Colony and Badbazar. Following the successful implementation of the service and positive response from local residents, the civic body has decided to extend it to around 16,000 new households.

"We will engage 20 new vehicles to provide the service to 16,000 more households in the new localities. A city-based self-help group will engage the vehicles. It has already engaged 10 trolley-laden vehicles and started lifting garbage from the new areas. It will engage 10 more vehicles shortly," said Bhoi.

The civic body will pay Rs 40,000 per month to the self-help group for each vehicle. The global positioning system (GPS) devices are also being installed on all the vehicles. "The GPS will help us monitor the movement of the vehicles and verify whether the workers are following the scheduled routes," Bhoi said.

The corporation has engaged nearly 500 sanitation workers for the purpose of garbage collection.

Besides, problems regarding disposal of solid waste has also been solved as the sanitation workers are dumping the garbage at Durgapali dumping yard of the city. Moreover, the corporation's move is expected to check the practice of dumping garbage alongside roads as well.

"Ward committees have been formed in the areas where the service is pressed into. The panels will supervise the sanitation of the areas," said a member of the self-help group. The residents can contact the ward supervisor, engaged by the civic body, in case garbage is not lifted from the doorstep.

"The facility is yet to be implemented in our area. However, I am happy to know that the corporation has expanded the service to new localities. I am hopeful that the facility will be implemented in our area as well," said another local resident, Umasankar Pradhan.

The city generates around 100MT garbage every day.