Ahead of the 150th anniversary of Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC), Prakasam District Collector and corporation Special Officer P. Raja Babu directed the officials to conduct a series of events to create awareness on cleanliness in the city. He instructed the OMC staff to pay special attention on the development and beautification works across the city.

The urban local body was established as Ongole Municipality on September 30, 1876, during the British rule. It was upgraded as Municipal Corporation on January 25, 2012, to meet the needs of the growing population. At present, it covers nearly 132.45 sq km with 50 municipal wards. So far, it has received multiple State-level awards for excellence in cleanliness and waste management.

Meanwhile, the Collector asked the officials to organise cultural programmes with different themes every week at Gandhi Park to mark the 150th anniversary celebrations. He said that a special open auditorium should be built for this and asked them to install big balloons in various areas of the city to create a buzz.

Mr. Raja Babu said that more awareness should be created among the people to increase their participation in the programmes being conducted by the OMC. He said that steps should be taken to bring a more positive change in the behaviour of the people regarding sanitation. Along with the construction of new toilets in the city, necessary repairs should be taken up immediately, he said.