The Hindu        23.12.2014  

Solid waste management board on the anvil

Minister for Urban Development Vinay Kumar Sorake and Almitra H. Patelof the Supreme Court Committee on solid waste management, at the seminar organised by the Canara Plastic Manufacturers’ and Traders’ Association in Mangaluru on Monday.— Photo: H.S. Manjunath

Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake on Monday said the government plans to set up a Solid Waste Management (SWM) Board along the lines of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board.

Speaking after inaugurating CanPlast 2014 organised by Canara Plastic Manufacturers’ and Traders’ Association here, Mr. Sorake said waste management had attained greater significance these days and many urban local bodies (ULBs) lacked the expertise in garbage disposal.

Bengaluru, once known as the garden city, was turning out to be a garbage city, the Minister said, adding that the government was confident of finding a solution to the problems at Mandur village near Bengaluru where garbage disposal had become an issue. ULBs, which still continue with land-fill dumping method of garbage disposal, needed to focus on scientific disposal of waste. The proposal for SWM Board gained relevance in this context, Mr. Sorake said.

The Minister said the presumption of plastic as a menace should get changed, and plastic should be treated as an asset through various recycling methods.

The government was keen on the use of recycled plastic in various forms, including for production of diesel and energy, he said. Any number of rules and regulations would not help scientific waste management unless the people develop awareness about cleanliness and waste disposal, he said.

The day-long event witnessed technical sessions on sustainable waste management by Almitra H. Patel, member, Supreme Court Committee for SWM, Bengaluru; emerging opportunities in the field of plastics for small and medium entrepreneurs by Aruna Kumari, senior manager, Reliance Industries, Mumbai; plastic waste to fuel by G. Jagadish, Director, Technical, Ampolt Electronics, Bengaluru, and bio-degradable plastics and recycling by Ajay Karmarkar, Director (Technical), KONSPEC, Mangaluru.

The Hindu       22.12.2014 

DDA to keep tab on frequent visitors to Vikas Sadan

Frequent visitors to the office of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will now be watched and a tab kept on them as a measure to bring in transparency.

The steps are in keeping with a recommendation of the Standing Committee on Urban Development. The committee while examining the functioning of the DDA in its report tabled in the Lok Sabha noted that despite taking various steps to bring in transparency in its functioning, the DDA has failed to eliminate the existence of touts/ agents in its office.

“As recommended by the committee, frequent inspections will continue to be carried out by DDA at the reception office to check the frequency of visiting persons,” the DDA said in its reply.

While taking a serious view on the issue, the committee said it “strongly desires that the DDA should strictly ensure compliance of the steps initiated by it. The committee further desires that CCTV cameras should be installed in all the rooms of the DDA at the earliest and the records of the register at the reception office of the DDA should be periodically monitored in order to see the name of frequently visited persons so that his/her entry can be out under watch.”

The committee observed that to reduce the movement of touts in various branches, the exit/entry points in Vikas Sadan, the office of the DDA have been reduced from seven to three and file tracking system has been implemented in the vigilance branch to check delays in handling of files and presence of outsiders.

It also noted that installation of CCTV cameras is under process in Vikas Sadan where major public dealing activities are conducted and directions have been issued to put on website all rules to increase transparency.

However, the committee expressed concern that “despite all these systems in place, the DDA has not been able to eliminate the existence of touts/ agents in its office”.

The DDA in its reply said CCTV cameras have already been installed all over Vikas Sadan, including entry and exit points and in all the rooms/ branches dealing with public, and are being monitored. “The control screen of these CCTV cameras has also been provided to various heads of departments who could monitor simultaneously any unwanted happenings which can be avoided,” the DDA informed.

As regards the records of reception office, the DDA said the same has been computerised and photo cards are being issued to visitors to keep a check on touts/ agents.

These measures have been taken as the Standing Committee on Urban Development had stated that the DDA had failed to eliminate the existence of touts