Urban News

The Hindu 21.01.2010

SWM issue: council asserts primacy over standing panel

Staff Reporter

Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao and Deputy Mayor K. Dorabbai in a heated exchange over the solid waste management controversy at the GVMC meeting on Wednesday. —

VISAKHAPATNAM: With Deputy Mayor K. Dorabbai making it clear that he did not mean ‘scam of Rs.1,000 crores’ in solid waste management in the municipal corporation but loss that would have occurred if the corporation went ahead with its plan of giving land and garbage to a fertiliser company, focus at Wednesday’s meeting of the GVMC council shifted to fixing responsibility for the decision and primacy of the council over standing committee.

Picking up from where he had left at the November 12, Mr. Dorabbai said at the rate of about 900 tonnes a day for more than 15 years the 100-acre dumping yard at Kapuluppada should have five million tonnes of garbage. Quoting statistics from NEERI and other national-level organisations, he said 56 per cent of the net volume could be converted into compost. With three acres of land at its disposal Coromandel Fertilizers would have had monopoly over compost making organic fertilizers that would cost Rs.9 a kg to farmers. ITC that collected dry garbage that constituted only 14 to 15 per cent recyclable material was ensuring payment of money while the compost was sought to be given free of cost. Also power could be generated from it.

Officials and Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao said the agreement was void as the company did not come forward for signing an MoU after a letter of acceptance was given to it. Mr. Dorabbai said had he not raised the issue, it would have resulted in loss though one might differ on the value, he maintained.

The Mayor contended that an official had given written view that the Standing Committee (of which he is chairman) could take a decision on leasing the three acres for three years. A Vigilance inquiry was on after which action would be taken.

Commissioner V.N. Vishnu agreed that the any policy decision should be taken by the council. He would examine the files and take departmental action by January 25 if any official had misled. He said an expert committee would go into making effective use of garbage at Kapuluppada.

CPI’s A.J. Stalin maintained that the council was supreme and the Standing Committee could not take a policy decision. MP Sabbam Hari agreed saying that any new issue of importance should be brought to the notice of the council by officials. TDP’s Nalluri Bhaskara Rao and Kona Tata Rao demanded that accountability should be fixed for it demanding either the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor should resign or action should be taken on officials.

The Hindu 20.01.2010

Bids invited for new solid waste management scheme

Staff Correspondent

— Photo: R. Eswarraj

FOR PUBLIC USE: The city corporation wants to retain the 120 metallic solid waste bins even after implementing the three-package system in Mangalore.

MANGALORE: The Mangalore City Corporation has invited bids for the three-package solid waste management scheme. At present, the city corporation is operating a six-package system.

The notification inviting bids for the three-package scheme was issued last Friday.

According to it, bidders have to submit their proposals by February 20. Technical bids will be opened the same day.

The State Cabinet recently approved the proposal.

According to the revised scheme, the 60 wards in the corporation will be divided into north and south zones, with the former having 29 wards in a package, and the latter with 31 wards in another package. Two contractors will handle the solid waste produced in these wards, separately. Their tasks will include door-to-door collection of waste, street sweeping, clearing vegetation, cleaning of road dividers and footpaths, and sanitation works in public buildings and other places. The agencies will have to transport the solid waste to the compost plant and dumping yard at Pachchanady.

According to the tender notification published on January 15, the cost of handling the solid waste in the north zone is estimated at Rs. 4.25 crore a year. It is Rs. 5.47 core a year in the south zone. The cost of handling solid waste in the north zone has been estimated at Rs. 1,171 a tonne, while it is Rs. 1,160 a tonne in the south zone.

The third package covers operation and maintenance (O&M) of the compost plant and sanitary landfill site at Panchchanady. The cost of this package has been estimated at Rs. 1.78 crore a year, and Rs. 248 a tonne.

R. Manjunatha Shetty, Environment Engineer at the corporation, told The Hindu that the contract terms of the existing six agencies would expire in July.

If the civic body could select the bidders for the new package before July next, the services of the existing contractors could be terminated with a month’s notice, he said.

By restricting the number of agencies to two, the corporation could easily ensure 100 per cent door-to-door collection, Mr. Shetty said.

He said that the existing system of using hydraulic vehicles for lifting and transporting the 120 metallic solid waste bins to the dumping yard would continue even after the new contractors were put in place. Once the door-to-door collection of solid waste picked up fully, cement dustbins in the city would be removed in a phased manner, he said.