The Hindu 19.10.2010
‘Identify government land for dumpyards'
Special Correspondent
K. Rosaiah
HYDERABAD: District Collectors have been asked to identify government land for setting up dumping yards in urban local bodies where acquisition of private land has run into legal hurdles to give thrust to solid waste management projects.
Earlier government had given permission to 29 Urban Local Bodies for acquiring land from private persons for setting up dumping yards. But 10 of them which faced problems requested the Government for alternative arrangements.
Chief Minister K. Rosaiah held a meeting with Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy and officials here on Monday to review the status of solid waste management (SWM) to discuss the steps to be taken to reduce delays in setting up SWM projects.
Mr. Rosaiah said the government would institute awards to recognise local bodies that did well in waste management like Green Leaf, a voluntary organisation that started the concept.
He said that plastic covers not less than 40 microns should be allowed in municipalities in view of Supreme Court ban on plastic covers of 20 microns.
Later briefing reporters, Mr. Ramnarayan Reddy said that door-to-door collection of garbage, segregation, carting it to transfer centres and from there to dumping yards was being taken up in 74 urban local bodies thanks to awareness campaigns and involvement of Indira Kranthi Patham groups under Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas(MEMPA).
Andhra Pradesh stood fifth in the country in solid waste management and door-to-door collection of garbage went up from 50 per cent in 2005 to 92 per cent now in the municipalities and corporations. Government utilised 100 per cent fund sanctioned under 12 {+t} {+h} Finance Commission on solid waste management, he said.
He said all the 124 urban local bodies were grouped into 19 clusters for taking up projects to generate energy, manure from the waste with private participation.
Tenders were awarded to five companies in Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Kakinada, Chittoor and Chirala and the projects were under progress.
