The objective of the challenge was to identify technological as well as business process innovations, endorse viable models that are suitable for a different sizes, geographies and class of cities, pilot test and handhold to scale the short-listed technologies in select cities and bridge gap between innovators and beneficiaries that is civic body and citizens.

The proposal of the capital administration here was based on the recently implemented decentralised water treatment technology for the functional and upcoming sewerage treatment plants and the revised septage treatment guideline that came into force in the urban local bodies in 2017.

However, the city failed in getting the award since neither the local authorities are able to implement the septage treatment guideline that mandates construction of proper sewage pits in households and connection of the same to the sewerage network, nor being able to open enough number of sewerage treatment plants.

“We have opened sewerage treatment plant at Basuaghai last month and are constructing two more at Ghatikia and VSS Nagar. The plants will function on the new decentralised water treatment technology. We are also laying an underground sewage network, which will be functional soon,” said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

He said that though they missed out on the award, they would not stop working.

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