The Hindu           24.09.2014   

SDMC cleanliness drive to focus on awareness

This time around, the cleanliness campaign by the South Delhi civic body will focus on community participation.

A South Delhi Municipal Corporation official said on Tuesday that in the past, the drive would “be over with the leaders posing for photos with brooms”.

The drive, which will start on Thursday and go on till October 2, will focus on awareness and preventing littering, rather than just cleaning up after offenders. Commissioner Manish Gupta said: “If we can’t educate the population about not littering, then the drive will not work.”

With that in mind, the officials met representatives of 15 schools and colleges and 17 market associations on Tuesday. Mr. Gupta added that the NSS and NCC wings in educational institutions will also be roped in to inculcate good sanitation habits in students.

Meanwhile, the corporation has ramped up its action against litterbugs through issuance of challans.

The Corporation has set the target at 5,000 challans in each of its four zones from September 15 to September 25. The Corporation said 3,926 challans had been issued from September 9 till Tuesday.

The Times of India       22.09.2014 

Kochi's Civic body and the case of 'vanishing' garbage trucks

KOCHI: With hardly a year left for the election to Kochi corporation council, the opposition is turning the screws on the ruling front. Opposition councillors alleged irregularities in the purchase and maintenance of trucks for garbage disposal on Saturday.

The civic body had recently purchased 10 new compactor trucks, costing an estimated Rs 31 lakh each, for transporting garbage from the city to Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant. The corporation had also purchased 44 pick-up autorickshaws.

"While the local body procured these vehicles, they have not been able to explain the status of 17 covered trucks that were purchased earlier. Though, we have repeatedly asked for the details of these vehicles, the corporation has refused to provide it," said councillor M P Mahesh Kumar. When the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau raided the corporation office recently, officials failed to convincingly account for 38 of the 61 pick-up autorickshaws bought for garbage disposal.

"These incidents indicate the ruling front's apathy in addressing public issues," he added. According to councillor K J Jacob, out of the 17 covered trucks not more than three or four are operational. "The other vehicles are either damaged or abandoned. There is no clarity on the status of these vehicles," he said.

Meanwhile, the corporation maintained that the new batch of vehicles was purchased through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Kerala State Urban Development Project (KSUDP). The vehicles will operate in 21 health circles. "In fact, the local body did not procure these the new vehicles. We got it through these projects. All most all the vehicles are here and completing the registration process now," said health committee chairperson T K Ashraf.

Regarding covered vehicles purchased earlier, he said that there was "high risk involved in maintaining these vehicles as the local body had to meet the expenses related to repair works.

The civic body has to follow the rates decided by the public works department. We prefer to hire vehicles for garbage disposal as there is need to meet the expense for maintenance," added Ashraf