Urban News

The Hindu 15.07.2009

Municipal Corporation proposal irks farmers

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) attempts to acquire land at Devi Nagar by involving the farmers in a housing project on 60:40 basis did not fructify, here on Tuesday.

Municipal Commissioner P.S. Pradyumna’s words instigated the farmers to react aggressively and oppose the proposal in toto. The commissioner’s speech unfolded a high voltage drama at the meeting, and farmers became emotional. They said a big “no” to 60:40 formula and suggested that the commissioner go for land acquisition and pay the compensation as per market value putting an abrupt end to the meeting.

According to the proposal made by the commissioner, the VMC would develop the land to provide amenities like roads, UGD and water with its funds. While the VMC keeps 40 per cent of the land developed, the land owners would get 60 per cent. The VMC is contemplating constructing houses under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme at Devi Nagar, he said.

“You will not get recourse even if you see your MLA/MP or even Chief Minister. I suggest you to be part of the development process,” Mr. Pradyumna said, “None will come forward to purchase your lands, if it was notified under Land Acquisition Act, or you move the court of law. Even the Chief Minister would, at the most, suggest you to go for an agreement, which suits you.”

“You (farmers) need the Corporation’s and UDA’s help if you want to develop a layout in your land after some time. If you agree to “our proposal positively”, some of the issues like VLT, building plans etc could be sorted out at “my level.” If need be, “I would give an undertaking” that the land would be developed in a year, and also would protect your lands from encroachments for next two years, he said.

But, the farmers were reluctant to heed his suggestions and promises. They stuck to their argument that their land values would diminish if rehabilitation colonies came up in their vicinity if the land was developed on 60:40 basis.

Mr. Pradyumna, trying to ease the situation, said he neither intended to hurt their feelings nor was trying to threaten them. “Housing is one of the prestigious projects of the State government. I was only trying to put across various options before you,” he said, and left the meeting hall bringing an abrupt end to the meeting.

Earlier, in charge Sub Collector B. L. Chennakesava Rao, VMC Chief City Planner P. Timma Reddy, Vijayawada (Urban) Tehsildar Ch. Ramesh Babu made futile attempts to convince the farmers to agree for the proposal.

The Hindu 15.07.2009

Making good of e-waste

D.V.L. Padma Priya

A file Photo

Hazardous job: Technicians dismantling electronic waste from obsolete, broken and discarded devices. —

HYDERABAD: Ever thought what happens to our good old computers, televisions, etc. when they are finally discarded? E-waste has become one of the biggest sources for many industries for raw materials like plastic, steel, aluminium and copper. They are used to make various products.

A sample of the usefulness of recycling can be witnessed at Earth Sense Recycle Private Limited, the State’s only authorised recycling unit. Workers in protective gear can be seen stripping bare the electronic items. Each worker is assigned a component- monitor, CPUs, Cathode Ray Tubes, keyboards, mouse, printers, etc. All plastic, copper, aluminium, steel, etc. is segregated and kept in separate piles.

S. John Roberts, Earth Sense CEO, says that after recycling, only 5 to 10 per cent of e-waste actually reaches the landfills. “About 5 per cent of the e-waste comprises printed circuit boards that cannot be recycled in India and while 23 per cent of it is plastic, the rest is mild steel, copper, aluminium and steel,” he points out.

Excellent resource

After segregation, the stockpiles of plastic are shredded into finer pieces, while aluminium, copper and steel parts are collected by the respective industries. The plastic pieces are then converted into pellets and used for making chairs, buckets, mugs and the like and the metal parts are smelted and reused to make aluminium doors, copper wires, steel parts, etc. “How long can one extract metal from ore? E-waste is an excellent resource for metals in a world of depleting resources and means less burden on the environment,” says Mr. Robert.

However, only a small percentage of the useful components from e-waste are obtained from authorised recyclers. Industries continue to depend on the informal sector consisting of ‘kabadiwalas’ and second-hand goods dealers for raw material, he says.

The problem lies in not who is providing the scrap, but the way it is obtained. “The methods adopted by scrap-dealers are hazardous. The technology employed is not just rudimentary but dangerous too,” he says. Cable waste is used to cook food, and in many cases metals are melted in an ordinary stove and the effluents (with high percentages of lead and other metals) is discharged into the sewerage.

“Till the informal sector is mainstreamed into the formal sector, there is very little that authorised recyclers like us can do,” says Mr. Robert.