The Times of India 18.11.2013
Corporation, police join hands for a Palayam free of garbage
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The residents of Palayam ward who have been conveniently ignoring the reminders of the city corporation not to dump garbage on public places and to make use of the daily collection system will now have to deal with the police. The corporation has now teamed up with Museum police to make the residents of Palayam cooperate with the waste management system that was put in place in September.
The first phase of the awareness campaign began in the ward on Sunday with police convening a session for the residents along with the corporation standing committee members. The cleanwell workers had earlier handed over a list of households that have not been giving waste for the last two months. The cops will also visit these households along with the corporation officials as part of including the households in the system, which also began on Sunday.
The civic body has sought the help of Museum police as part of converting Palayam as the first self-sustained ward in waste management in the city. "We will begin with awareness sessions. After a week, if the households continue to ignore the cleanwell workers, we will start resorting to other measures, including filing of criminal cases and slamming penalties. Public littering, despite having a proper system, calls for prosecution," said Museum CI V Jayachandran.
In the second phase, shadow police will be deployed to keep a watch on the people who dump waste on public places.
The corporation, which resumed waste collection at Palayam from September 1 after a gap of two years, has been dealing with serious grievances from cleanwell workers who complain about certain residents who hand out broken glass pieces, diapers and napkins along with kitchen waste. Besides three major lanes, forest office road, Bakery-Paris Colony road and Rajeev Lane were identified
, where some residents have been dumping waste in spite of the waste collection being initiated in the ward.
The civic body's health wing collected a fine of Rs 60,000 in one week after the squads were deployed to prevent littering of streets. Of the total 2,100 households in the ward, the cleanwell workers have been collecting waste regularly from only 750 households. As part of the collection process, each household ought to pay Rs 60 per month. The collection status, which was compiled in October, showed that the amount could be collected from only 625 households.
"We hope to resolve all these issues by this tie-up with Museum police. From Sunday onwards, awareness sessions and house visits will be conducted for a period of one week. Soon Palayam will be declared as garbage-free ward," said Palayam Rajan, chairman, welfare standing committee.
The biogas plant at Palayam is being set up at a cost of Rs 26 lakh. The plant with 2 tonne capacity works on bio- methanization process where the organic waste is converted into methane, which in turn is converted into electricity.
- Public littering will be penalised
- House visits will be conducted
- Offenders will be prosecuted
