Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Solid Waste Management

10,000 students to join CCP in making Panaji 'waste wise'

Wednesday, 09 October 2013 08:15 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India               09.10.2013

10,000 students to join CCP in making Panaji 'waste wise'

PANAJI: In order to educate Panaji's students about segregation at source and the responsible disposal of household waste, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) launched 'Waste Wise' at Patto on Tuesday.

The initiative involves the active participation of 10 Panaji-based high schools, with around 10,000 students coming forward to gather waste and dispose it at collection centres near their schools along with a corporate sponsor. The students will be given a 'Waste Wise' passbook, where a student will earn a stamp for bringing waste to the centre. The stamps can then be redeemed to avail of gifts like bags, cycle, caps and so on.

CCP has identified spaces around the schools to set up the collection centres. The city waste will be collected in a four-bin system with four different composting bins at the centres. The bins are colour-coded, with grey for glass and metal, brown for paper and cartons, orange for plastic and purple for thermocol, ceramics, rubber, leather, batteries and tube lights. There are about 125 composting units across the city.

CCP commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues said, "Panaji generates 60 tonnes of waste every day. Waste is segregated to make bales, some of which is sent to a cement plant in Karnataka, where they substitute the waste for coal to generate energy." Bales are compressed blocks of garbage, made by a bale press machine, turning the loose items into a squashed solid block.

Rodrigues also spoke about changing the "not in my backyard mindset to yes in my backyard". About 95% of the total waste generated can be recycled, encouraging the students to lead by example.

Minister for forests and environment Alina Saldanha said, "I am glad the CCP has taken up this initiative. During the event, we need to change our habits and it should not be a responsibility anymore, but a reflex action."

 

RMC cleaning at night to avert traffic snarls

Wednesday, 09 October 2013 04:12 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India                08.10.2013

RMC cleaning at night to avert traffic snarls

RANCHI: The civic body has started cleaning garbage at night after a letter from the city traffic police over a week ago.

Rajiv Ranjan, the city traffic SP, had written to Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), 10 days ago to clean roadside garbage bins at night to avert traffic congestion in the morning.

"Garbage trucks moving around the city during the day create a lot of traffic problem. They also create hassles for commuters," said Ranjan. It is really troublesome for people who are driving behind that truck as they are under the constant fear of some garbage being dumped over them accidentally."

"I have been getting complaints regarding these trucks and I also used to notice how these trucks create traffic snarls. I wrote to RMC on this and asked them to do the work at night as in other cities. Since the time my letter reached them, I have definitely found some change and am hoping that soon the problem will be sorted out," said the city SP, adding that garbage trucks, if spotted collecting vats in the morning, would be fined.

"We realize that garbage collection in the afternoon is a problem for people. We have started garbage collection at night but to make it a full-fledged plan will take some time," SK, deputy CEO of RMC said,

"After all we also need to see the interest of common people. Once the garbage collection at night starts across the city we will be fining or seizing those garbage collecting vehicles which are seen on the roads in afternoon," he said.

 

Garbage depot may come up in Punavale

Monday, 07 October 2013 10:26 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India           07.10.2013 

Garbage depot may come up in Punavale

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is likely to get possession of 22 hectares of forest land in Punavale this month for developing its second garbage depot. If approved, the new depot will reduce the burden on the existing one at Moshi.

Sanjay Kulkarni, executive engineer of PCMC's environment department, said, "The town planning department of the PCMC is expected to get possession of the land from the district collectorate this month. The PCMC will then level the land and complete other necessary work in the next six months so that the new depot becomes operational," he said.

A senior civic official in the town planning department said, "The district collectorate is expected to give us 22 hectare of forest land in survey number 23 in Punawale village, located off Katraj-Dehu Road bypass in Pimpri Chinchwad. They have completed measurement of the five-acre stretch of private land, which is adjacent to the forest land needed for the depot. The land acquisition process of this land is being looked after by the district collectorate.''

The civic body had paid the forest department Rs 3.53 crore for acquisition of land three years ago. But, the residents of Punavale and nearby villages of Ravet, Tathawade, Wakad and others opposed the garbage depot plan due to stink and pollution the garbage will create for them and that the depot will be a nuisance for newly developing areas. The residents had also held agitations in the past regarding the issue.

The present garbage depot in Moshi is spread on a stretch of 80-acre land. The daily garbage generated in the city measures around 650 tonnes. The civic body has implemented measures like vermicompost and mechanical composting to reduce the garbage dumped at the depot in Moshi.

Large numbers of residential constructions have come up around the depot and residents have asked the civic body to shift the depot to another place. They have complained of foul smell and flies that have increased in number because of the garbage. Moreover, the civic body will soon run out of open space at Moshi depot for dumping garbage which makes the second garbage depot an urgent requirement.

 
More Articles...


Page 62 of 265