Chennai: Corporation officials have been knocking on apartment doors across the city to make people aware of source segregation, urging them to practise it and carrying out demonstrations. On Monday, civic officials campaigned in more than 400 homes in Ambattur, asking residents to segregate wet waste from dry waste.

This is part of the ongoing efforts of the Greater Chennai Corporation to implement the mandate of the revised solid waste management rules released by the environment ministry in 2016 and the Swachh Bharat Mission.

TOI had first reported the initiative in March which had resulted in 3% of the total waste in the city being recycled. "It's important for us to rope in students for this initiative, so we are campaigning in schools and colleges apart from spreading awareness in slums and gated communities," said a senior health official of the corporation.

"After we cover our drive across the entire city, top officials may consider how to make this mandatory and maybe even impose penalties," the official added.

On an average, more than 5000 metric tonnes of garbage is dumped every day in the landfills in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi. To reduce this load and eventually close these toxic dumping grounds, composting pits and biogas plants have come up across the city in the corporation's vacant lands, burial grounds and near Amma Canteens to contain garbage within neighbourhoods that are generating it and not let waste go to the landfills.

Madurai: A month after the district administration declared Madurai as open-defecation free, the city corporation has now started taking steps to construct household toilets in the wards by roping in private companies to sponsor them.

A special meeting convened by corporation commissioner, Sandeep Nanduri along with officials on Monday passed a resolution in this regard planning for 505 household toilets at a cost of Rs 65 lakh.

According to officials, the civic body in order to eliminate open defecation in city areas was taking efforts to construct individual toilets for all households with state and central government subsidies under Swachh Bharat. But the works have been delayed and private players like Arokia Welfare Trust, HCL, Fenner, Swatha Wash have come forward to take them up. So, a resolution permitting them to undertake the works was passed in the meeting.

The corporation also passed resolutions giving its nod to carry out new school building construction at a cost of Rs 23.82 lakh at Velliveedhiyar Primary School in ward 12, new metal road laying at Doak Nagar Main Road at Rs 35 lakh, pipe laying for underground drainage at Rs 42.20 lakh from 50 feet road in Kulamangalam Main Road to Ayyanarkoil Street and to construct a small bridge at Rs 49.50 lakh to carry commodities to Manalur pumping station.

The meeting also discussed sending the work proposals like renovating Royagopuram and shifting shops from Puthumandapam to Kunnurchathiram area at Rs 6.48 crore to get the permission of municipal administration commissioner.