The Times of India 10.04.2013
Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation’s clean project hits Ramky roadblock
VISAKHAPATNAM: Vizagites awaiting a cleaner and greener city by Ugadi this year, may now have to wait longer to see their dreams come true. For the much-hyped Clean and Green Visakha (CGV) solid waste management project of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), which was to be launched officially from April 11, has run into a roadblock.
According to GVMC sources, the agreement inked by the state government with Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL) in the third quarter of 2011-12 to improve sanitary conditions of both Vizag and Hyderabad, is posing to be the main hurdle to the rollout of the CGV programme.
"We made all the arrangements to launch the CGV project and were busy mobilizing the required Rs 4 crore funds to successfully run the 'dustbin free' programme in the city from Ugadi onwards, but unfortunately it has been put on hold due to REEL's tie-up with the state government for overall solid waste management," a senior GVMC officer in the medical and health department revealed.
As per the MoU with the company, the collection of waste and its recycling was to be done by REEL, with the civic bodies of Hyderabad and Vizag playing no role except paying REEL for cleaning the city.
But GVMC was forced to go back on the MoU after facing stiff resistance from its 5000-odd sanitary workers, who have raised a stink over the involvement of REEL in the project as they fear they would lose their jobs. This had forced GVMC to devise its own solid waste management plan under the CGV project.
While admitting that the MoU with REEL was delaying the CGV, GVMC commissioner MV Satyanarayana said that the civic body had recently written a letter to the state government seeking an assurance that REEL would not interfere in GVMC's project. "The letter was written few days ago. We are yet to receive a reply from the government. We hope that the government will positively respond to our pleas and we can start the CGV soon after receiving the green signal. If all goes well, the programme is likely to be launched in May," Satyanarayana said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of GVMC's sanitary workers union said they would stall the CGV project even if the REEL issue was sorted out. The union has been opposing the CGV project as well as REEL's intervention tooth and nail from the very beginning.
The honorary president of GVMC Employees and Workers Union, M Ananda Rao, said that nearly 5,000 sanitary staff would face health problems if they were to segregate the waste by hand as part of the CGV project. "We welcome the programme if everything is completely mechanized. If not, we are ready to go on an indefinite strike if the CGV is launched against the sanitary workers' wishes," Rao said.
However, the GVMC chief said that the programme would benefit all stakeholders, right from residents to sanitary workers thanks to the scientific disposal of the city's waste under CGV. "The workers will not face any health problems. On the contrary, they will be given incentives. CGV is a 100 per cent clean and green project," Satyanarayana added.
The GVMC CGV programme intends to cover all 72 wards in the city that generates about 1000 tonnes of garbage a day. GVMC spends Rs 10 crore annually on garbage collection and disposal with the help of nearly 5,000 sanitary workers and 425 vehicles are used to transport the waste to a dump yard at Kapuluppada on the city outskirts.
If the CGV project gets implemented, the waste will be segregated into wet and dry garbage at the doorstep of the residents itself, with each household being given two different coloured bins. A total of 1,340 routes have been identified by GVMC for collecting the waste as part of the CGV.
Wait gets longer
GVMC's 'garbage segregation at doorstep' plan likely to be delayed
Ramky's tie-up with govt as well as 5000 GVMC workers' opposition stymies green project
Workers' voice concern over health risk due to manual segregation of garbage
GVMC promises a complete mechanized system of segregation, also seeks assurance from govt that Ramky would not interfere in the project
According to GVMC sources, the agreement inked by the state government with Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL) in the third quarter of 2011-12 to improve sanitary conditions of both Vizag and Hyderabad, is posing to be the main hurdle to the rollout of the CGV programme.
"We made all the arrangements to launch the CGV project and were busy mobilizing the required Rs 4 crore funds to successfully run the 'dustbin free' programme in the city from Ugadi onwards, but unfortunately it has been put on hold due to REEL's tie-up with the state government for overall solid waste management," a senior GVMC officer in the medical and health department revealed.
As per the MoU with the company, the collection of waste and its recycling was to be done by REEL, with the civic bodies of Hyderabad and Vizag playing no role except paying REEL for cleaning the city.
But GVMC was forced to go back on the MoU after facing stiff resistance from its 5000-odd sanitary workers, who have raised a stink over the involvement of REEL in the project as they fear they would lose their jobs. This had forced GVMC to devise its own solid waste management plan under the CGV project.
While admitting that the MoU with REEL was delaying the CGV, GVMC commissioner MV Satyanarayana said that the civic body had recently written a letter to the state government seeking an assurance that REEL would not interfere in GVMC's project. "The letter was written few days ago. We are yet to receive a reply from the government. We hope that the government will positively respond to our pleas and we can start the CGV soon after receiving the green signal. If all goes well, the programme is likely to be launched in May," Satyanarayana said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of GVMC's sanitary workers union said they would stall the CGV project even if the REEL issue was sorted out. The union has been opposing the CGV project as well as REEL's intervention tooth and nail from the very beginning.
The honorary president of GVMC Employees and Workers Union, M Ananda Rao, said that nearly 5,000 sanitary staff would face health problems if they were to segregate the waste by hand as part of the CGV project. "We welcome the programme if everything is completely mechanized. If not, we are ready to go on an indefinite strike if the CGV is launched against the sanitary workers' wishes," Rao said.
However, the GVMC chief said that the programme would benefit all stakeholders, right from residents to sanitary workers thanks to the scientific disposal of the city's waste under CGV. "The workers will not face any health problems. On the contrary, they will be given incentives. CGV is a 100 per cent clean and green project," Satyanarayana added.
The GVMC CGV programme intends to cover all 72 wards in the city that generates about 1000 tonnes of garbage a day. GVMC spends Rs 10 crore annually on garbage collection and disposal with the help of nearly 5,000 sanitary workers and 425 vehicles are used to transport the waste to a dump yard at Kapuluppada on the city outskirts.
If the CGV project gets implemented, the waste will be segregated into wet and dry garbage at the doorstep of the residents itself, with each household being given two different coloured bins. A total of 1,340 routes have been identified by GVMC for collecting the waste as part of the CGV.
Wait gets longer
GVMC's 'garbage segregation at doorstep' plan likely to be delayed
Ramky's tie-up with govt as well as 5000 GVMC workers' opposition stymies green project
Workers' voice concern over health risk due to manual segregation of garbage
GVMC promises a complete mechanized system of segregation, also seeks assurance from govt that Ramky would not interfere in the project
