The Hindu              24.06.2013

VMC to float City Development and Beautification Trust

G.V.R. Subba Rao

It is aimed at creating new infrastructure like roads with the funds raised

Have some plans on giving back something to the city? You can donate for construction of a road or a development of a park, or even could extend help for beautification of an area in the city. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) will start a trust to take up developmental and beautification works.

The corporation will float The City Development and Beautification Trust shortly. The VMC officials are working out modalities of the proposed trust. Discussions are in progress on the proposal and the corporation is likely to make an announcement in the next couple of days after it got legal vetting, sources say.

The trust objectives are different in nature, but it will be the corporation’s second move to involve the public in the development of city.

The trust is aimed at creating new infrastructure like roads with the funds raised through the trust. Essential links would be provided for integration of existing infrastructural facilities. On the other hand, the operation and maintenance (O&M) plan is for maintaining and renewing the existing facilities, officials say.

The VMC has already initiated a process to involve the local communities as part of its O&M plan. The local communities would be provided opportunities to prioritise the requirements in their locality. A working group of local elders, slum dwellers, knowledgeable persons and retired people who have expertise will be formed in the due course.

The corporation has begun a study on O&M of the services being provided to the citizens. The O&M of water supply, roads, Under Ground Drainage (UGD), street lighting, health care etc were being studied. A comprehensive data on O&M is being collected.

A route map and guidelines would be formulated based on the outcome of study, which would throw light on grey areas as well. For instance it would tell the higher ups why the corporation was incurring a recurring expenditure on repairs and maintenance of vehicles at vehicle depot.

The Hindu              24.06.2013

Municipality to make source-level waste disposal system mandatory

Staff Reporter

To ask business houses to set up waste disposal units

The Kottayam Municipality has decided to make the source-level waste disposal system mandatory for commercial establishments. Municipal chairman M.P. Santhosh Kumar told The Hindu that the local body would ask the commercial establishments, especially restaurants and other eateries, to set up their own waste disposal units.

“The establishments will be provided a period of three months to comply with the norm. Notices in this regard will be distributed by municipal workers from Monday onwards,” he said.

According to him, the restaurants and the abattoirs that dump waste materials at public places have contributed a great deal to the waste management problem.

“The successful implementation of the guidelines could lead to a significant decrease in the quantity of waste needed to be managed by the municipality.

The licenses required for new establishments would be provided only if the necessary facilities are ensured. The municipality would also resort to measures including cancelling the licenses of existing establishments that fail to comply with the system,” Mr. Kumar said.

He said the municipality had commenced the distribution of biogas plants for households as part of its source-level waste disposal programme. “Two thousand units, each capable of processing 2.5 kg of waste per day, are being provided. In addition to this, measures are also being taken to distribute 2400 vermi-compost and pipe compost units.

The municipality will provide 4400 waste disposal units within a period of six months,” he said.

The municipality is also planning to establish three biogas plants. Each of them will be capable of processing two tonnes of waste. The biogas plants will cost an amount of Rs 22 lakh per unit, he said. Talks are also on with traders for procuring a mobile incinerator.

Vadavathoor

Regarding the existing stalemate with the Vijayapuram grama panchayat on the Vadavathoor dumping yard issue, Mr. Kumar said the stance of the grama panchayat was unreasonable. “An immediate solution is impossible. The waste that has accumulated over close to 70 years remained unprocessed at the yard.

The municipality would require the assistances of the State government and the Suchitwa Mission to resolve the issue at the earliest,”he said.