The India      05.11.2014

Garbage collection fee to be introduced soon in Mandya

As solid waste is creating major health and environmental problems, the Mandya City Municipal Council (CMC) has decided to impose a fee for solid waste collection by year-end.

The municipal council has also resolved to introduce door-to-door waste collection system and outsource solid waste management to self-help groups (SHGs). The fee will be Rs. 30 a month from each household.

Dumping solid waste on pavements and by the roadside is a punishable offence under certain provisions of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000, said N.M. Shashikumar, Commissioner of CMC.

Requesting the people not to dump solid waste in public places, Mr. Shashikumar said that the CMC would improve the solid waste management system in all 35 wards of the town.

The total quantity of solid waste being generated in Mandya is about 56,000 tonnes a day. According to 2011 census, there are 32,986 houses in the CMC limits of Mndya, Environment Engineer N.S. Sneha (CMC) told The Hindu.

The municipal council has set up garbage bins at about 30 places in the town. However, these bins will be removed in a phased manner. People should hand over the solid waste to garbage collection vehicles or push carts, she said.

The municipal council had installed about 300 garbage bins at different places. The cost of each bin was about Rs. 30,000.

More than 85 per cent of the bins installed had worn out owing to rust. The municipal council had removed such rusted bins and dumped them at a vacant place near the water tank in Gandhi Nagar.

Meanwhile, the municipal council has invited proposals from women organisations and self-help groups (SHG) for collection and disposal of solid waste from within the municipal limits.

The contracted SHG will be entitled to collect Rs. 30 from each household, Ms. Sneha said here on Monday.

The current system of solid waste management has been considered as very poor owing to lack of pourakarmikas and non-availability of sufficient garbage bins.

People have been dumping the garbage by roadside, pavements and common places.

At present, there are 90 permanent pourakarmikas with the CMC. It has hired 181 persons on contract. A majority of will be busy everyday either clearing garbage or cleaning drains.