The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation will take up measures to make the city dust-bin free in the next two years to implement the reforms for solid waste management, mandatory under the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
For implementing the reforms, the corporation will get assistance from funds of the 13th Finance Commission. The Government had issued a GO to prepare annual development plans by urban local bodies (ULBs) for improvement of urban services with grants under the 13th Finance Commission. An amount of Rs.1,919.2 crore has been earmarked for the period between 2010-11 and 2014-15 to ULBs.
According to Municipal Commissioner V.N. Vishnu, the implementation of dust-bin free wards would be extended from the present six to half the wards during the current year and to the entire city in 2011-12. Resident welfare associations will be involved.
While the revenue from public health utilities is Rs.34.56 crore a year, the expenditure that includes salaries, expenditure on vehicles, is Rs.123.75 crore. About 900 tonnes of garbage is collected and is transported to the Kapuluppada dumping yard via the Transfer Station in the One Town.
Mr. Vishnu told reporters who met him on Monday that two more transfer stations were proposed in Gajuwaka and Pendurthy areas. Besides collection at the doorstep of residents garbage divided into organic and inorganic waste, the transportation cost, placing dumper bins and spending on manpower is sought to be reduced by going in for having two more stations.
As a part of the solid waste management, the ‘dust-bin free' garbage collection was introduced in six wards from September 2008 and garbage collected at the doorstep of residents.
After several postponements of the subject and a meeting of floor leaders, the corporation meeting approved collection of user charges in these wards.
However, the making of manure from the organic waste has lagged behind though it is to be ready after six weeks after the collection of garbage. The agency collecting the garbage has to sell the manure and recover part of the expenses. Till now no manure has been sold.
