‎SMC rolls out 24×7 online waste bin booking facility in Srinagar

‎Srinagar, Sep 10 : Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Thursday launched an app-based facility allowing residents to book waste bins online, with the service available round the clock and the booking charge fixed at around Rs 2,000 per day.
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‎Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch, SMC Commissioner Fazlul Haseeb said the initiative was aimed at simplifying waste-management services and moving towards a more “faceless governance” model.
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‎The facility is particularly intended to cater to the city’s frequent social and community functions, including weddings, condolence gatherings and other events held at homes and community halls, where temporary waste disposal arrangements are often required.
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‎”This is one of those steps to improve service delivery and to ensure that there is faceless governance,” Haseeb said.
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‎Under the new system, the payment is integrated into the online gateway. Once a booking is made and payment completed, the user will receive confirmation along with the name and phone number of the designated driver, while the booking details will also be communicated through SMS.
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‎Haseeb said the system had been designed to eliminate several steps involved in the earlier process, when people had to approach the corporation, make a booking and then check the availability of bins.
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‎The booking will operate on a day-based system, with one day counted from 10 am to 10 am, while an extension for another day would follow the same cycle. The charge has been fixed at around Rs 2,000 per day, which the Commissioner described as a nominal rate.
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‎The SMC has designated specific hooper vehicles and drivers for the service so that confirmed bookings can be served efficiently.
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‎Haseeb said the new facility was part of the corporation’s broader push towards digitalisation and reducing the need for physical interaction between citizens and the civic administration.
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‎On waste management in the city, the Commissioner said several projects were currently at different stages of implementation, including the construction and demolition waste processing plant, the Integrated Solid Waste Management project and a biomining project.
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‎He said the government had taken major initiatives to improve waste processing and disposal and that the SMC was working towards their effective implementation.
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‎”Waste management, for so many years, we have had a waste problem. Obviously, a transition system is going on in which systems are being implemented,” Haseeb said.
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‎He expressed hope that the ongoing transition would show significant progress within the next one to two years.
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‎The Commissioner also spoke about the condition of SMC-run community halls and said the corporation had begun a comprehensive audit to identify infrastructure gaps.
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‎The audit covers aspects including furnishing, bathrooms, electricity connections, windows and accessibility, among other basic facilities.
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‎”We have designed a format, we have done an audit format,” Haseeb said, adding that the exercise was being carried out across all community halls under the corporation.
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‎Around 25 community halls have already been audited, while another seven to eight are still pending, he said.
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‎Once the audit is completed, the corporation will move into the next phase involving repairs, furnishing and other improvement works based on the deficiencies identified.
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‎Haseeb said the objective was to ensure that civic infrastructure and services were progressively brought up to a better standard while technology was used to make service delivery simpler and more accessible to the public.(KNS)