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’.