Silchar: Assam Govt’s Minister for Food & Public Distribution, Housing & Urban Affairs and Cooperation, Kaushik Rai on Wednesday said that technology driven civic services, improved urban infrastructure and greater citizen participation would be the key to transforming Silchar into a modern, clean and citizen centric city.
Addressing a gathering at the inaugural ceremony held at the Silchar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Minister Kaushik Rai said that the expansion of Silchar Municipal Corporation had increased the number of households under its jurisdiction from around 96,000 to approximately 1.12 lakh making it imperative to strengthen civic services and introduce modern systems capable of responding efficiently to the growing needs of the city’s residents.
The Minister formally inaugurated the Public Facilitation Centre (PFC), GPS-based Municipal Vehicle Tracking System and QR-based Waste Collection System at the SMC premises. He also inaugurated the Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) at the Meherpur trenching ground, constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 2 crore.
Elaborating on the significance of the new systems, Minister Kaushik Rai said that the QR based waste collection mechanism would bring greater transparency and accountability to municipal waste management. Each household can be provided with a unique identification mechanism, enabling the authorities to map households and monitor garbage collection more effectively.
He said that the new system could also help the municipal authorities monitor whether essential civic dues and services, including property tax, trade licences and water supply-related services were up to date. He emphasised that technology should ultimately be used to make municipal administration more accessible and responsive to citizens.
The Minister said that the GPS based vehicle tracking system would enable authorities to monitor the movement of municipal garbage collection vehicles in real time, thereby improving supervision and ensuring that collection services are delivered according to schedule.
Referring to the Public Facilitation Centre, Minister Rai said the initiative would provide citizens with a convenient platform for accessing a range of municipal services without having to move from one office to another. He stressed that the ultimate objective of every such initiative should be to ensure citizen centric, transparent and efficient public service delivery.
He also appreciated the support extended by Axis Bank towards the civic initiatives and said that urban infrastructure in Silchar would receive further attention in the coming days.
On water supply, the Minister said that projects under AMRUT 1 and AMRUT 2 would provide around 21,000 new water connections. He further informed that an allocation of around Rs 19 crore had been made for a separate water supply arrangement for Silchar Medical College & Hospital.
He said that a proposal amounting to approximately Rs 509 crore had been submitted for Silchar’s urban infrastructure requirements. Of this, special emphasis would be placed on improving the city’s drainage system. A master drainage plan involving an estimated Rs 100 crore has been proposed to address the problem of waterlogging, while survey work is already underway.
The Minister also informed that Oil India Limited was exploring plans for a biogas related initiative for which land has been allotted by the district administration.
The Minister said that a new auditorium for Silchar was also being planned, which would be developed as a Town Hall. He further informed that steps had been taken towards construction of an electric crematorium at an estimated cost of Rs 3 crore with the tender process already initiated.
Highlighting the government’s focus on renewable and sustainable urban infrastructure, he said that 800 solar street lights had already been installed across the 42 wards of Silchar while plans were underway to install an additional 10,000 solar lights.
The Minister also spoke about ongoing road development works and informed that work on the State PWD road from Capital Point to Rangirkhari had commenced with an allocation of approximately Rs 5.33 crore. He said that ongoing road works in the city would be expedited and completed at the earliest.
In a significant political and administrative announcement, Minister Rai stated that expressed hope that following the election, civic administration and service delivery in the city would become even smoother.
He said that the government was committed to taking up several more development projects for Silchar in the coming days and expressed confidence that the newly introduced technology based systems would bring a visible improvement to the everyday lives of citizens.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajya Sabha MP Kanad Purkayastha welcomed the introduction of the new citizen centric initiatives and said that the Public Facilitation Centre had the potential to become an important bridge between citizens and the municipal administration.
He said that the PFC should gradually evolve into a comprehensive digital citizen service platform where people could track applications and receive notifications through SMS or mobile alerts. Such a system, he observed, would reduce uncertainty for citizens and bring greater transparency to the service-delivery process.
MP Kanad Purkayastha said that in the future, the PFC could be integrated with a Central Citizen Service Management Dashboard enabling the authorities to monitor, through a single platform, the number of applications received, applications disposed of and applications pending disposal. Such a dashboard could also provide information on average disposal time, departmental performance and citizen feedback.
He further emphasised the importance of establishing a Digital Assistance Desk at the PFC for citizens who may not be familiar with online services. Such assistance could include filling up online applications, uploading necessary documents, making digital payments and accessing services relating to birth and death certificates, trade licences, renewals, building permissions and property related matters.
He also proposed a Special Information Desk supported by digital displays, through which citizens could be informed about municipal schemes and services, government welfare programmes, important notifications, required documents, applicable fees and other essential information.
MP Kanad Purkayastha said that such initiatives would help create a more transparent, accessible and responsive municipal administration and congratulated the SMC and district administration for taking forward technology based civic governance.
Talking at the event, Udharbond MLA , Rajdeep Goala said that the launch of the new systems marked an important step towards strengthening civic amenities in Silchar and the surrounding urban area. He appreciated the efforts of the State Government, district administration and SMC in introducing modern mechanisms for waste management and citizen services.
He said that a clean and well managed city required not only infrastructure and technology but also the active cooperation of citizens. He urged residents to make proper use of the new systems, cooperate with municipal workers and contribute towards maintaining cleanliness in every ward.
MLA Rajdeep Goala expressed hope that the initiatives would improve the quality of municipal services and help Silchar emerge as a cleaner, healthier and more organised urban centre.
Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal, Sushmita Dev congratulated the State Government, Silchar Municipal Corporation and district administration on the launch of the citizen oriented initiatives. She said that urban governance today needed to be increasingly transparent, technology enabled and responsive to the everyday needs of citizens.
She particularly welcomed the Public Facilitation Centre and the introduction of digital mechanisms for municipal services, observing that citizens should be able to access government services easily and track the progress of their applications without unnecessary visits to government offices.
MP Sushmita Dev emphasised that effective waste management was an essential component of a healthy urban environment and appreciated the introduction of QR based waste collection and GPS enabled vehicle monitoring.
She thanked Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma for his continued focus on urban development and for giving importance to the strengthening of civic infrastructure and citizen services in Silchar. She expressed hope that the new initiatives would lead to tangible improvements in the daily lives of residents.
Cachar District Commissioner, Rahul Kumar Gupta, IAS said that the launch of the four initiatives represented an important milestone in the ongoing process of strengthening urban governance in Silchar.
He said that the district administration would continue to extend all necessary support to the Silchar Municipal Corporation for effective implementation of the new systems. He stressed the importance of coordination between different departments and the municipal administration for ensuring that technology enabled systems translated into actual improvements in service delivery.
The District Commissioner said that waste management, drainage, water supply, road infrastructure and other civic services required sustained institutional monitoring as well as public participation. He urged citizens to cooperate with municipal authorities and sanitation workers to ensure that the benefits of the new systems reached every ward.
Commissioner of Silchar Municipal Corporation ,Ankur Das, IAS said that the introduction of the PFC, GPS based vehicle tracking and QR enabled waste collection represented a major step towards modernising the functioning of the Corporation.
He explained that the Public Facilitation Centre would provide citizens with easier access to municipal services and information, while the GPS-based tracking mechanism would enable the Corporation to monitor the movement and operation of waste collection vehicles more efficiently.
He said that the QR based system would strengthen accountability in door to door waste collection and provide the Corporation with better information for planning and monitoring sanitation services.
SMC Commissioner Ankur Das said that the SMC was committed to using technology not merely as an administrative tool but as a means of improving the quality, transparency and responsiveness of municipal services.
Earlier, Executive Officer of Silchar Municipal Corporation ,Abhijit Bey, AUAS, delivered the welcome address.
Welcoming the Minister, elected representatives, senior officials, distinguished guests, media representatives, municipal employees and citizens, Executive Officer Abhijit Bey described the day as a significant and historic occasion for the Corporation.
He said that four important initiatives were being launched together the Public Facilitation Centre, GPS based Garbage Vehicle Tracking System, QR based Garbage Collection System and Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant with the common objective of providing citizens with better, cleaner and faster municipal services.
He said that the Public Facilitation Centre would make it easier for citizens to access municipal services and expressed hope that it would establish a transparent and result oriented channel of communication between the people and the Corporation.
Referring to the GPS based garbage-collection vehicle monitoring system, he said that technology would enable the Corporation to supervise vehicle movement and ensure that waste collection operations were carried out regularly and efficiently.
He described the FSTP as another major step towards scientific and safe management of waste. He observed that cleanliness was not limited merely to roads and public places and that scientifically managed waste disposal was essential for building a healthy and environmentally sustainable city.
Executive officer SMC , Abhijit Bey expressed confidence that the new initiatives would make municipal administration more modern and increasingly people centric. He conveyed his gratitude to all officials, engineers and sanitation workers associated with the implementation of the projects and appealed to citizens to extend their cooperation in keeping Silchar clean, beautiful and healthy.
He also expressed his gratitude to Minister Kaushik Rai for attending the programme and providing guidance and encouragement, and thanked the District Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner, elected representatives, distinguished guests, citizens and members of the media for their presence.
The programme was also attended by Cachar Zilla Parishad President Kankan Narayan Sikidar, District BJP President Rupam Saha, District Development Commissioner,Rajib Roy ACS,senior officials, municipal representatives, employees, media representatives and citizens.
Later , Minister Kaushik Rai inaugurated the Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant at Meherpur trenching ground in presence of Udharbond MLA Rajdeep Goala,Cachar DC Rahul Kumar Gupta IAS and SMC Commissioner Ankur Das IAS and other officials.
This is stated in a press release issued by the Regional office of Information & Public Relations Barak valley Zone Silchar Assam.
