The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Garbage disposal problems dominate council meets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 29, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Garbage disposal problems dominate council meets

Staff Reporter

Representatives bemoan shortage of conservancy staff

TAMBARAM : The problem of collection and disposal of garbage dominated the council meetings of Alandur and Tambaram Municipalities. Elected representatives of these urban local bodies, meeting for the first time after the civic polls, highlighted the inconvenience caused to residents due to problems relating to garbage collection and disposal.

Shortage of staff, heaps of garbage all over town and slow progress in completion of the modern integrated compost yard at Venkatamangalam were the issues put forward by councillors here. In Alandur, councillors said street corners were piled high with garbage; the high rate of absenteeism among the conservancy workers had a severe impact on collection of garbage came in for criticism.

Officials and R.S.Bharathi, Municipal Chairman of Alandur (for the fourth time after being elected in 1986, 1996 and in 2001), said problems were being attended to and by early next year, "Zero Garbage Alandur" would be a reality. The Chairman said the requirement of conservancy staff was 350 and the present strength was only 231, of whom a sizable number were away on leave regularly.

In Tambaram, councillors criticised the lackadaisical approach of the local body as almost every inch of available space was being converted into mini dumping yards. On the issue of extending the contract by six months to a private agency to collect and dispose garbage in East Tambaram, councillors reminded officials that the present government had revoked the earlier regime's ban on appointment of people in government jobs and that privatisation was not the best solution.

They also protested against a move to spend another Rs. 10 lakh for raising the compound walls at Kannadapalayam that at present functions as the dumping ground for garbage. Councillors agreed on a resolution to seek the approval of the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration to air-condition and refurbish the council meeting hall.

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