Urban News

The Deccan Herald  02.12.2010

BBMP wakes up to waste collectors’ health

Bangalore, December 1, DHNS :

The job of garbage collectors is no less hazardous than those performed by police officers, fire-fighters and miners.

Considering the hazardous nature of their jobs, the BBMP  Standing Committee on Health has decided to enforce stringent measures while issuing  new garbage collection tenders.

The committee will place more emphasis on the contractors to provide garbage collectors with gloves, boots and overalls.

“In most of the cases, the provisions made by the contractors are inadequate and disturbing. Hence, the committee will lay more stress on the safety aspects of garbage collectors,” said Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health, Manjunath Reddy, on Wednesday.

Top priority will be accorded to labour safety and ensuring efficient and regular clearance of garbage, said Reddy.

The committee took serious note of the laxity shown by contractors in Neelasandra during an inspection, and directed the officers to issue a notice to garbage contractors for being negligent, and sub-leasing the contract of the entire ward without the Palike’s knowledge.

The tenders issued to the contractors empower the Palike to cut five per cent of the billed amount towards garbage collection, for unsatisfactory work. However, in this case, the BBMP has already directed the authorities to make full payment.

On the same day, the Committee issued notice demanding the closure of the popular Hyderabad Biryani House on Victoria Road for lack of hygiene and poor upkeep.
Wet garbage was found right next to the kitchen raising serious doubts about the quality of food served to customers, the panel said.

Even the Karnataka Meat and Poultry Corporation (KMPC) adjoining the Biryani House was ordered to close its business owing to bad maintenance. “Both the Hyderabad Biryani House and the KMPC lacked maintenance and had expired trade licences. The KMPC displayed a licence that was issued in 2008-09,” said Reddy.

The Palike administration should have acted on the orders of the Commissioner and Mayor and levied penalty for not obtaining fresh trade licences, he said.

The Hindu  01.12.2010

KMC deputes ‘green brigade' for sanitation awareness

Staff Reporter

KMC Special Officer Sasidhar planning to expand micro-sanitation programme to other areas

KAKINADA: A small group of women clad in special uniform and holding a public address system was seen every day in one residential area or the other in the city for the last couple of weeks. Visiting door to do, these women were explaining the importance of keeping one's surroundings clean and proper methods of waste management.

Employed by the Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) as part of implementing the ‘micro-sanitation' project, all the 50 social workers were divided into groups and participating in a massive campaign on sanitation. Wearing the specially designed jerkins with the letters ‘KMC' printed on them, the women were visiting the residential areas in the morning hours and shops and establishments in the afternoons.

With the help of the public address system, they were interacting with people residing in top floors of residential complexes and urging them not to throw solid wastes either on to the road or in the drainage, as they were liable to be punished with a fine. Introducing the sanitation worker of the street to all the residents, the uniform-clad women were advising the residents to segregate wastes into dry and wet and hand it over properly to the workers every morning. The sanitation worker can serve notices on the residents, who were resorting to throw the garbage on to the roads. After three notices, fine would be levied on the residents by the civic authorities.

“The reception is good and women and children are listening to us patiently. Though we were a little bit hesitant in the first couple of days to insist them on segregating the wastes and explain them about the fine and all, now we are comfortable with the job,” said V. Anantha Lakshmi, a social worker, who was campaigning in Gandhinagar area.

The civic body is paying Rs. 150 a day each to 50 social workers for launching the campaign. Though the micro-sanitation programme was launched in 14 divisions initially, Special Officer of the Municipal Corporation and Joint Collector K. Sasidhar was planning to expand it to the other divisions too. “It takes some time to change the habit of throwing the garbage out. My children are reminding me of the levying of fine every day,” said Ch. Lalitha Kumari, a resident of Dantuvari Veedhi.