Urban News

The Hindu 13.09.2009

Maintenance of garbage tractors cause for concern

Serena Josephine M. and Priti Narayan

PUDUCHERRY: Three days ago, a tractor under contract with the Puducherry Municipality, ran into a tea shop at Nellithope, injuring two persons. In August, a five-year-old boy was killed in an accident involving a tractor on Mahatma Gandhi Road.

Such incidents have raised concern over the maintenance of private tractors engaged in clearing garbage in the Puducherry and Oulgaret Municipalities. Residents stress that the vehicles should be checked on a regular basis to ensure proper maintenance.

There are 64 private tractors functioning in 42 wards of the Puducherry Municipality for garbage collection under the 24-hour scheme, self-help groups’ scheme and ‘Shuddham.’ The municipality has no tractor of its own as most of the vehicles have been condemned, an official said.

According to officials of the Oulgaret Municipality, the local body owns 10 tractors, while around 57 private vehicles are under contract for door-to-door garbage collection.

Local bodies are required to monitor the functioning of these vehicles. “We are taking up surprise visits to check for proper maintenance. Action is being taken if the private contractors violate contract terms and the amount to be paid for maintenance deducted,” a senior official of the Puducherry Municipality said.

Meanwhile, officials of the Oulgaret Municipality said that there are around 30 supervisors and four sanitary inspectors who monitor the functioning of these tractors. The vehicles are frequently sent to the municipal workshop or authorised dealer for maintenance.

But, councillors of both the municipalities said that such measures are not being followed on a regular basis. A.R. Selvaganapathy, ward councillor of the Puducherry Municipality, said that the local body was not checking whether the tractors were properly maintained. Timely disbursal of funds to the contractors alone would help in ensuring proper maintenance.

“The rent for the tractor, salary for workers and diesel cost are not disbursed on time. For those under the 24-hour scheme, which is being implemented in eight wards in the town limits, funds are being released only once a year. However, the self-help group members receive money once in six months. How is maintenance possible,” Mr. Selvaganapathy questioned.

Ward councillor of the Oulgaret Municipality A. Devasagayam said that one person was killed in an accident on Kamaraj Salai involving a tractor of the Oulgaret Municipality around a year and half ago.

He stressed the need to check whether all tractor drivers had valid licences. He also emphasised the need for the drivers to get enough rest and work in shifts.

A separate, dedicated junior engineer must be instated for supervising maintenance of private and municipality-owned tractors, he said. A separate private tractors maintenance wing would also help in monitoring the vehicles.

The Hindu 13.09.2009

‘Prepare estimates for developing UGD network’

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: The issue of letting out of sewage into irrigation canals that pass through the city came to the fore at a review meting chaired by Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah here on Saturday. The Minister asked the officials of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and the Irrigation Department to ensure that the sewage did not enter the canals, and suggested to them to prepare estimates to develop the underground drainage network in a full-fledged manner in the city.

The estimates would be placed before the Central Government for sanction of funds, he said, and advised them to appoint consultants to study and prepare the estimates within two months.

Sewage treatment

Mr. Lakshmaiah also wanted the officials to speed up the works costing Rs. 278 crores taken up for treating the sewage in the city, and complete them at the earliest. So far, only Rs.126 crores had been spent for treating 45 million litres a day of sewage, and the officials must complete works so that another 60 million litres a day of sewage could be treated by October.

The Minister wanted the officials to take measures to ensure that no area or locality of the city got submerged or flooded with rain water by 2010. At the same time, sewage should not be let out into any irrigation or drinking water canal as per the directions given by the High Court in the past, he made clear.

Budameru issue

Referring to Budameru drain, he asked the officials to appoint a consultant and get proposals for a comprehensive development of the drain prepared in two months. Mr. Lakshmaiah expressed concern over indiscriminate manner in which solid waste was being dumped by the residents of hill areas of the city, which, he feared, would clog the drains and result in flooding. To prevent this, students of colleges and schools must be involved in an awareness campaign to reduce the use of plastic and encourage people to dump all wastes into separate baskets on roads.

Municipal Commissioner P. S. Pradyumna, Irrigation SE T. Chandra Rao and other Irrigation officials were present.