Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Wednesday launched a WhatsApp chatbot application to enhance accessibility and transparency in municipal services.
The initiative, introduced in collaboration with IndusInd Bank and PeLocal Fintech Private Limited, was formalised with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The chatbot will allow residents to access services such as property tax payments, trade licenses, birth and death certificates, and grievance redressal.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, BMC Mayor Sulochana Das highlighted the importance of smart solutions in fostering community participation. “BMC is committed to providing better facilities for citizens through innovative technology,” she said. As part of its digital push, BMC, in partnership with IndusInd Bank and EmerTech RnD Solutions Private Limited, also developed a Market and Vending Zone Rental Collection App. The application is designed to streamline the rental collection process, ensuring efficiency and transparency in managing municipal markets and vending zones.
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General Council Meeting At its 27th General Council meeting held Wednesday, the BMC announced the formation of seven Enforcement Squads. These teams will focus on managing street vending, removing encroachments, enforcing trade licenses, and implementing Odisha Development Authorities (ODA) Act directives. Mayor Sulochana Das urged corporators to identify land in their respective wards to resettle vendors displaced during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
The BMC also decided to relocate shopkeepers who have set up illegal roadside stalls to designated vending zones or newly planned neighbourhood markets. “These steps aim to balance urban order and livelihood needs while ensuring proper use of public spaces,” said Das.