The Municipal Corporation of Roorkee (MCR) has been achieving the top rank for the past three years in the state in the cleanliness survey. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown new challenges for the corporation. In a conversation with The Pioneer, the MCR assistant municipal commissioner Chandrakant Bhatt talked about the challenges and future plans of the corporation.

Regarding the Covid-19 situation, he said that recently three positive cases had been found in the municipal corporation area.

 “Due to this sanitisation has become a regular and important task. There are three containment zones in Roorkee- Sati Mohalla, Adarshnagar and Mohammadpur.

Considering this, we have launched two applications- Sanjeevani for medicine and Annapurna for food. Roorkee is divided into six zones. One doesn’t need to go anywhere but simply install and use these apps to get medicines and food at the doorstep. We have also launched a helpline number to provide door to door sanitisation facility,” he said.

Regarding technological aspects in the efforts, Bhatt said that the Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has helped the corporation to improvise and provide facilities like the sample collection chamber.

 “This idea is basically from South Korea, but little things which should be there for safety were taken care of by IIT. The sample collection chamber has been so successful so far that the district magistrate ordered us to deploy 20 such chambers in different areas.

After this, we have also launched sanitising footboard which sanitises footwear. We are going to launch expansion and contraction sanitising machine which will cost about Rs two lakh though in other states it is costing more than Rs 15 lakh,” shared Bhatt.

He further informed that in the initial stages of the pandemic, MCR understood the importance of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant. With the permission of the Haridwar district magistrate, the corporation procured about 8,000 litre container of this chemical from Punjab. Soon after that, the price of this disinfectant rose from Rs 12 per litre to Rs 32 per litre. The corporation has also involved self help groups in production of masks and sanitisers so that they can also earn while helping in the efforts to prevent spread of Covid-19.

Regarding the performance of MCR in sanitation, he said that being on top for three years is a major achievement. “Till recently, we didn’t have solid waste management plant. Now we have established a solid waste management plant in which waste segregation has also been started. We are also facilitating employment for garbage pickers in this plant. Due to this, we have also received the Atal Nirmal Nagar Puraskar worth Rs 1.20 crore.

Our main motto is to work with team spirit, ensuring that no one feels pressurised. We also focus on good public dealing while making all efforts with honesty.”

Regarding the situation of water in Roorkee, Bhatt said that the British made a canal passing through the middle of the city. It may have been suitable for the time it was built in but at present it also results in problem of water drainage. To resolve this, the MCR board recently passed the proposal for contour mapping.

 This development will help resolve the issues. Regarding future plans of the corporation, the assistant municipal commissioner said that the corporation is planning to erect an auditorium using pre engineered building technology.

  The MCR is also working on solar power plant and Geographical Information System (GIS) which will include mapping of employees and infrastructure.