Bhubaneswar: The Centre will set up a Rs 50-crore waste treatment plant in Sambalpur, said Union education minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan while launching an ambitious public participation-based cleanliness campaign in Sambalpur on Monday.
“Without personal change and a sense of duty towards cleanliness, Sambalpur cannot become clean. We must make our ‘Sambalpur Clean Sambalpur’ slogan successful,” said Pradhan while flagging off new sanitation vehicles for areas under Sambalpur Municipal Corporation.
The campaign emphasises individual responsibility in maintaining civic cleanliness. The initiative, titled “Cleanliness Campaign through Public Participation“, aims to transform the city’s waste management system.
Speaking at the launch event, Pradhan drew parallels between the current initiative and Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of cleanliness as a tool for national progress. He highlighted how Prime Minister Narendra Modi transformed the cleanliness agenda into a nationwide movement.
The campaign introduces systematic segregation of wet and dry waste across neighbourhoods. “Just as you adopt physical exercises to keep yourself fit, everyone needs to embrace cleanliness,” Pradhan told the gathering.
The minister called for cross-party cooperation in achieving the goal, urging citizens to work beyond political and ideological boundaries. He emphasised the importance of encouraging cleanliness volunteers and adopting hygienic practices for better public health.
The campaign was attended by Sambalpur MLA Jay Narayan Mishra, former Rengali MLA Nauri Nayak, IG (Northern range) Himanshu Lal, collector (Sambalpur) Siddheshwar Baliram Bondar, SMC commissioner Bed Bhushan Bhoi, and superintendent of police (Sambalpur) Mukesh Bhama, among others.