Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Public Health / Sanitation

GHMC’s assurance on housing to sanitary staff

Print PDF

The Hindu - Andhra Pradesh 11.08.2009

GHMC’s assurance on housing to sanitary staff

HYDERABAD: The GHMC has assured the National Commission for Safai Karmacharis that it would take up with the Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district Collectorates the issue of allotting housing to sanitary staff from among the projects being taken up for the poor.

Special Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu also offered to waive deposits sought from prospective Build, Own and Transfer (BOT) developer for constructing modern toilets if the application came from the sanitary groups concerned.

However, increasing the minimum wage from Rs. 3,900 was a policy decision to be taken by the government, he said.

Earlier, K.B. Krishna Murthy, Member, National Commission for Safai Karmacharis took up these issues with the officials after they were highlighted by sanitary staff at GHMC head office on Monday.

Later, talking to presspersons, Mr. Murthy praised the initiatives taken by the State government towards helping the safai karmacharis.

About 18 lakh have benefited from waiver of loans of less than Rs. 1 lakh amounting to Rs. 1,176.80 crore, he said.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 August 2009 03:30
 

MCE’s ‘clean city campaign’ comes under scanner

Print PDF

The Hindu - Andhra Pradesh 01.08.2009

MCE’s ‘clean city campaign’ comes under scanner

G. Nagaraja

The campaign was launched during the period of Md. Khadar Sahed

 


Dumping of plastic waste on the canal bounds pose a threat to the water resources in the city

Scenes of washing milk cans in the canals greet passersby



Plastic danger: A heap of plastic waste dumped on the bunds of the Krishna Eastern canal eastern locks at Eluru. Photo AVG Prasad

ELURU: The scene of a mound of plastic waste dumped on the bunds of Krishna Eastern Canal near east locks on the city outskirts brings the ‘clean city campaign’ launched by the Municipal Corporation of Eluru (MCE) under the scanner. The canal network, meant to cater to the irrigation and drinking water needs, forms itself as a necklace for the city which is located at the tail of both the Godavari and the Krishna canal systems.

Use of canal bunds for dumping of plastic wastes and garbage is a common site all along in and around the city, raising the heckles of the environmentalists. The scenes of washing milk cans and the other light and heavy vehicles in the canals at different points also greet the passers by. The canals as well as the Tammileru, a river which connects the former at the western locks turned out to be drainage channels carrying the sewage water let off by residents and builders. The disturbing scenes could be attributed to the lack of commitment on the part of the MCE in sensitising the public on the matters relating to environment and water safety.

The recent council meeting of the MCE debated on the reported failure of its ‘innovative’ campaign billed as ‘Waste out of Wealth (WOW)’. The campaign was launched during the period of Md. Khadar Sahed as the municipal Commissioner. The project went into a rough weather soon after his transfer. The MCE during his period had a tie-up with the Bhadhrachalam-based ITC company for ‘wealth generation’ out of the municipal waste in the city. The residents were requested to segregate the dry and wet wastes and deposit them into two separate designated bags supplied by the ITC and the bags were in turn collected by the MCE through tri-cycles for the purpose of the so-called WOW. The MCE had purchased 150 tri-cycles for the purpose. Machinery worth Rs. 15 lakh was purchased for waste management and sheds built near Bharat Nagar for installation of the machinery. The scheme, however, did not take off for a variety of reasons. A section of corporators lamented that the project proved to be a ‘sheer waste of public money’.

Last Updated on Saturday, 01 August 2009 05:49
 

PCMC plans to start flu wards at ESI hospital

Print PDF

The Times of India - Pune 31.07.2009

PCMC plans to start flu wards at ESI hospital

PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's plan to start a special ward for suspected swine flu patients at the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) may be shelved as the civic body now plans to start a special ward at the government-run ESI hospital at Aundh.

Speaking to TOI, PCMC's chief medical officer Nagkumar Kunchagi, said the corporation intends to open two wards for treating suspected swine flu patients at the ESI hospital at Aundh. "The ESI hospital building has been lying empty and we can use it for setting up wards for treating cases of suspected swine flu. We want to set up two wards, each with a 25-bed capacity," he said.

Kunchagi said the corporation has requested the state health department to allot space in the ESI hospital to start these wards. "The Public Works Department of the state government is in possession of the ESI hospital building, which we inspected two days back. The PWD must conduct the repair work and hand over the necessary space to the PCMC for these wards," he added.

"All the necessary arrangements have been made. If the state government grants the permission, then we will start this ward at the ESI hospital very soon," said Kunchagi.

Initially, the PCMC was planning to open a 16-bed ward for treating suspected swine flu patients on the fourth floor of the YCMH.
 


Page 401 of 416