Around 1,800 people of Sambalpur town participated in a mass cleaning drive launched by District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) here on Sunday. The drive started at 8 am and continued till 12 noon. People from all sections of society including academicians, intellectuals, senior citizens and members of social organisations armed with broom and cleaning equipments cleaned several wards, departments, drains, pathways and avenues of the hospital.
The area in and around the DHH premises wore a clean look after people toiled for four hours in the exercise which was aimed at spreading awareness about cleanliness in the hospital, said coordinator of the sanitation drive Sudhir Pujari. Not only was the wild growth removed along with polythene bags and green coconut shells which were clogging the drains but also the entire campus was cleaned with water and disinfectant. Staff of Sambalpur Municipality, Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) and General Electricity Department (GED) also joined the drive and provided logistic support.
While GED staff checked the electrical fittings and undertook the repair work, the PHED officials checked sanitary fittings. The Public Works Department (PWD) undertook minor repair work. About 20 vehicles were engaged to transport the garbage collected during the drive and dump it at Jamadarpali dumping yard here.
Sambalpur Collector Balwant Singh, who was present during the drive, lauded the efforts of the people. Stating that DHH has drainage problem due to lack of master plan, he said the PWD has been asked to prepare a plan for the purpose. A similar drive at DHH was undertaken on November 25 last year apart from the one at VSS Medical. Recently, the people of the town had united and cleaned the Ring Road.
