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Garbage accumulates as Kanpur Municipal Corporation, A2Z slug it out

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The Times of India                      16.03.2013

Garbage accumulates as Kanpur Municipal Corporation, A2Z slug it out

KANPUR: Unclean roads as well as garbage lying unattended at dumping yards and brimming over from dustbins have become a common sight in the industrial city these days. With less than a fortnight left for Holi, the city is reeling under extreme insanitation as several metric tonnes of garbage rots in wake of the tussle between A2Z and Kanpur Municipal Corporation.

The impact of the absence of regular workers and garbage clearance system can be seen in areas like Bakarganj, Yashoda Nagar, Shyam Nagar, and Jajmau to name few. Also bearing the brunt of the mismanagement of municipal corporation and A2Z are Kakadeo, Lajpat Nagar and Ashok Nagar.

The dumping yards made near GT Road (from Zareeb Chauki to Coca Cola Chauraha) have made commuting difficult for locals. "We are already reeling under the effect of faulty planning of civic authorities with respect to underground sewage pipelines. Potholes and open manholes make it difficult to move safely on city roads. Now, A2Z and KMCs mismanagement in garbage clearance has made things worse," said Rohit Sharma, a resident of Lajpat Nagar.

Krati Singh, another local from Anandpuri said, "It is pathetic that we have to watch garbage lying unattended in front of our houses. The authorities are least bothered about the woes of the public."

It is important to mention here that A2Z workers stopped door-to-door garbage collection in the city three weeks ago. After receiving several complaints, the authorities of Kanpur Municipal Corporation started collecting and shifting garbage from dumping yards. However, KMC workers are also not able to collect all the garbage from the city as they have few vans and other infrastructure required for the same.

"The city generates nearly 1200 metric tonnes of garbage every day while KMC is collecting only 700 to 750 metric tonnes. As 400 tonnes of garbage is getting accumulated every day for the past three weeks, presently, the city has 6000 extra tons of garbage lying around. Lifting this before Holi is a nightmare," said a KMC official.

He added that A2Z authorities have not backed out officially but expressed their inability to accomplish the task. As this burden is now with KMC, it is facing a loss of Rs 1.25 lakh everyday while using its own diesel and workers in lifting garbage from dumping yards.

When TOI contacted Municipal Commissioner NKS Chauhan to seek his explanation on A2Z's halting of services, the official said, "In view of the absence of regular A2Z workers from duty, we have pressed into service contract workers to take care of cleaning of roads and collection of garbage in the city."

He said A2Z has stopped collecting garbage door-to-door and from dumping yards, but is recycling the same at the garbage treatment plant. "We will be a holding a meeting with A2Z authorities to discuss the grievances of locals. Hopefully, something positive result will come out of the meeting," Chauhan said.
Last Updated on Saturday, 16 March 2013 08:34