A delegation of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), led by Mayor Sulochana Das, met Housing & Urban Development Minister Dr Krushna Chandra Mahapatra at his official residence and presented the trophies and certificates received for outstanding performance in the national ward-level clean-air assessment.
The delegation included Deputy Mayor Manjulata Kanhar, BMC Commissioner Chanchal Rana, Deputy Commissioner (Sanitation) N. Ganesh Babu, the Chairperson of the Sanitation Standing Committee and Corporators representing Wards 30, 36 and 22.
In a significant achievement, BMC’s Ward 36 and Ward 30 secured top positions in the national ward-level clean-air assessment. Ward 13 of the Rourkela Municipal Corporation also secured a top position, bringing further recognition to Odisha’s efforts towards improving urban air quality.
The achievement highlights Odisha’s decentralised and community-driven approach to clean-air management, with emphasis on localised planning, citizen participation and sustained environmental action at the grassroots level.
Congratulating the BMC team, Minister Dr Mahapatra expressed happiness over the recognition and appreciated the collective efforts of elected representatives, officials and citizens. He said the achievement was a matter of pride for Bhubaneswar and Odisha and urged the BMC to work with renewed commitment to achieve even better results.
The Minister stressed that maintaining clean air requires continuous efforts, effective local action and active community participation. He encouraged the Corporation to further strengthen ward-level initiatives aimed at creating a healthier, greener and more liveable Bhubaneswar.
The BMC delegation thanked the Minister for his encouragement and assured that the Corporation would continue strengthening clean-air initiatives and citizen participation across the city.