Designing Bhubaneswar: Holding the Edges Together- cleanliness ~ Just my way to spoil the Ink

Bhubaneswar is no longer a city preparing to grow. It is a city that has already crossed that threshold and is now deciding what kind of growth it will live with. The expanded BDA limits, the twin-city relationship with Cuttack, the fast-transforming gram panchayats around Chandaka, Jatni, Khordha Road, Pahala, Balianta and Balipatna are not future concerns. They are the present city, behaving urban in every way except governance clarity.

This is the phase where cities usually make their most expensive mistakes—not by doing the wrong things, but by delaying the right ones. Solid waste management and litter control fall exactly into this category. When roads are new and buildings are rising, waste feels like a secondary issue. But once habits settle, correcting them becomes far harder than setting them correctly in the first place.

The problem Bhubaneswar faces today is not lack of rules or absence of schemes. It is the quiet confusion of responsibility, especially in the expanding edges. Inside the older municipal core, systems exist. Outside it, in newly absorbed layouts and village-turned-urban settlements, garbage does not know who it belongs to. Panchayats assume the city will take over. Municipal bodies hesitate beyond formal limits. Development authorities focus on approvals, not daily waste. Garbage thrives in these gaps.

Cities like Delhi and Kolkata did not become overwhelmed overnight. They slowly accepted disorder as normal. What began as temporary inconvenience hardened into permanent dysfunction. Bhubaneswar still has something those cities lost early time. And timing matters more than money.

The most effective intervention lies at the block and local level, where administration meets everyday life. Blocks and BDOs are uniquely positioned to manage the transition zones between rural governance and urban reality. The gram panchayats surrounding Bhubaneswar are no longer purely rural. Treating them as such will only accelerate disorder. Waste management here must be seen as city preparation, not village housekeeping.

The first correction is clarity. Every road, drain, market, settlement, and vacant plot within the expanded urban influence must fall under a clearly named authority—BMC ward or specific block administration. No space should exist without ownership. Garbage appears only where responsibility dissolves.

The second correction is predictability. Waste collection must be regular, visible, and known. Each block and peripheral zone needs a fixed number of vehicles, fixed routes, and fixed timings. When people know exactly when waste will be lifted, behavior adjusts quickly. Irregular systems train people to dump. Regular systems eliminate the excuse.

Public dustbins must follow human behavior, not paperwork. Markets, food streets, bus stops, vendor clusters, apartment entry points—these are where waste is generated. This is where bins must exist, be maintained daily, and be emptied visibly. Clean infrastructure is not cosmetic; it is behavioral guidance.

Vendor spaces deserve special attention. Every licensed vendor or shop already occupies public space. That space should come with gentle responsibility. A clearly marked small area in front of the stall, supported by nearby bins and predictable lifting, creates ownership without fear. Cleanliness improves when people feel the street is partly theirs, not when they feel watched.

Enforcement alone will not work here. Bhubaneswar’s strength lies in its people. It is a city that responds better to participation than pressure. Awareness programs, local clean-up drives, and open-street or Raahgiri-style mornings, Ekamra walks with fused cleaning drive do something fines cannot. They make cleanliness visible, social, and shared. When streets briefly belong to people instead of vehicles, behaviour shifts.

Schools are the city’s most underestimated allies. Government schools, Saraswati Shishu Mandirs, and public and private institutions alike shape daily habits at home. When children participate in cleanliness drives, adopt streets or ponds, or compete in simple civic challenges, families follow naturally. Inter-school programs involving institutions like Sai International, ODM, DAV, DPS, KIIT and others can anchor cleanliness into the city’s culture rather than its rulebook.

Equally important are the people who keep the city functioning every day. Sanitation workers, SHG members, and field staff understand the city at ground level better than anyone else. Recognition matters here—not quietly, but publicly. Awards, felicitations, incentives, and visible appreciation create pride. A city that respects its workers rarely stays dirty for long.

Recognition should extend to citizens as well. Households that segregate waste properly, lanes that remain clean, communities that cooperate deserve acknowledgment. Cleanliness spreads faster through appreciation than through punishment. Policies must ease adaptation, not create anxiety. Support must come before enforcement, and enforcement must always remain the last step.

Bhubaneswar is approaching a point of no return—not in crisis, but in habit formation. Infrastructure is rising. Population is increasing. Consumption is accelerating. This is the moment to lock systems in gently, before disorder feels inevitable. Cities do not decline loudly. They decline quietly, through tolerance of mess, confusion of responsibility, and delayed decisions.

This is not an alarm. It is a reminder of timing. Cleanliness is easiest to build before it becomes urgent. Coordination is simplest before conflict appears. Bhubaneswar still has clarity, scale, and civic goodwill on its side.

Clean now. Coordinate now. Humanize the system now.

Later is always louder. Now is still calm enough to act.

REVISITING THE NON- NEGOTIABLES

Clear Area Ownership

Every road, market, drain, and vacant plot must be officially assigned to a specific ward, block, or panchayat authority. Garbage reduces automatically when there is no confusion about who is responsible.

Fixed Collection Timings

Waste must be collected at the same time every day in every locality. Predictable collection builds habits and prevents people from dumping waste on roads or open land.

Segregation at Source

Households and shops should separate wet and dry waste before disposal. When segregation is simple and supported, landfill pressure reduces and recycling becomes viable.

Dustbins Where Waste Is Generated

Bins must be placed at markets, food streets, bus stops, and vendor zones—not randomly. People use bins when they are conveniently available, not when they are symbolic.

Vendor-Level Cleanliness Responsibility

Each vendor or shop should maintain cleanliness in a clearly marked area in front of their stall. This creates ownership without fear or penalties.

School-Led Cleanliness Drives

Regular drives involving government and private schools build lifelong habits among children. When children participate, families naturally follow.

Public Awareness Through Events

Raahgiri-style open street events and community clean-up drives make cleanliness visible and participatory. People protect spaces they emotionally connect with.

Recognition Instead of Punishment

Households, lanes, schools, and workers who perform well should be publicly recognised. Appreciation changes behaviour faster than fines.

Support and Incentives for Workers

Sanitation workers and SHG members should receive awards, incentives, and public appreciation for good performance. Respect motivates consistency and pride in work.

Private Sector Participation

Housing societies, malls, offices, and institutions should manage waste within their premises under city guidelines. Shared responsibility reduces pressure on municipal systems.

Monitoring Without Harassment

Simple monitoring through ward-level reviews and community reporting keeps systems active. Enforcement should support people, not intimidate them.

Act Early in Expanding Areas

New layouts and peri-urban areas must be integrated into waste systems before disorder sets in. Early intervention is cheaper and more effective than correction later.