Even after getting placed in bottom in terms of hygiene and cleanliness by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) recently, the city residents are yet to wake up. From non- biodegradable wastes to medical wastes including other hazardous stuffs are sketchily being dumped everywhere within urban vicinity.
The twofold 140 dustbins put up in green and blue colours by the civic body recently for different purposes in terms of segregation of wastes are lying unused even at the busiest and major places. Interestingly, maximum people here are clueless about the segregation of wastes procedure and they recklessly dump the garbage in only one bin. Some even do not use the twin bin available.
As per Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, people would now have to segregate waste into three segments, biodegradables, dry (Plastic, Paper, metal, Wood, etc.) and domestic hazardous waste (diapers, napkins, mosquito repellants, cleaning agents etc.) before handing it over to the collectors.
“At present, in our ward the twin dustbin is yet to be installed. Hence, the residents of this locality are reluctantly dumping the garbage here and there. As far as, separation of waste is considered, this is the responsibility of labourers appointed by RMC,” said, a local resident, Maya Nagpal of ward 29.
On the other hand, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Bidyanand Sharma, said, “The civic body officials are helpless. Denizens of State capital lack civic sense. We are trying to create awareness among different sections of the society through various mediums but it is not impacting the people. The corporation is gearing up for the ‘Swacchta Sarvekshan’ to be slated to initiate from February 2017. In the days to come, 110 dustbins will be put up at several residential and commercial areas within the radius of 1/2 Km. RMC is doing enough and now people need to change their attitude towards sanitation.”
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India report released in April 2016 only about 75-80 per cent of the municipal waste gets collected and only 22-28 per cent of this waste is processed and treated at solid waste units.
Notably, the solid waste plant at Jhiri was supposed to be initiated in 2015 but the project has been lingering since long. “The treatment plant process is on cards. As soon as, Essel Infra takes the charge, the wastes will be transferred to 12 new transfer plants being constructed now within the city. After segregating different materials, the solid waste will be transferred to Jhiri for electricity production,” added, Sharma.