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Conservancy firm to lose more wards

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The Times of India     29.06.2010

Conservancy firm to lose more wards

 
CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation is set to take over waster disposal in 11 more wards from Neel Metal Fanalca, speeding up the conservancy agency’s exit from the city. The corporation, as a warning to the agency, had already taken over ward 128 (West K K Nagar) on June 4.

"The company has not corrected itself despite several warnings," a corporation official said. As per the plan, wards 129 (Saligramam), 117 (Vadapalani) and 118 (Trustpuram) in Kodambakkam zone will be taken over by the corporation next week. While wards 120 (United India Colony and Kamaraj Colony) and 121 (Dr Subburayan Nagar and Raghavan Colony), in the same zone, will be taken over the week after. This will be followed by six wards in Ice House zone.

With this, the services of the Neel Metal Fanalca-- which was awarded conservancy work in 66 wards across the city in 2007--will be restricted to 54 wards in four zones-- Pulianthope, Ice House, Kodambakkam and Mylapore.
In the Ice house zone, wards 79 (Aadikesavapuram), 80 (Nehru Nagar), 81 (Chintadripet), 82 (Komaleeswaranpet), 83 (Balasubramania Nagar) and 84 (Thiruvateeswaranpet), all of them falling in chief minister M Karunanidhi's constituency, will come under the control of the solid waste management department of the corporation.

The move to show the door to the private agency follows largescale complaints from the public about the shoddy work done by it. Several showcause notices sent by zonal officers of the corporation, warning to the agency to take corrective measures, proved ineffective.

As per the agreement with the corporation in August 2007, the agency is supposed to collect solid waste in 66 wards and dispose them in the notified dumping grounds in Perungudi and Tondiarpet, besides segregating the wastes.

The transition, the corporation hopes, will be smooth because it has already hired 120 conservancy workers and is recruiting 800 more people through the employment exchange. Deputy chief minister MK Stalin is likely to issue the appointment orders soon.