Commuters and pedestrians who have an early start to the day will soon find all bus routes clean at dawn.
All bus routes in the city will soon have night conservancy, said a senior official of the Chennai Corporation on Monday. The Corporation is likely to mobilise manpower, equipment and other resources required for the purpose.
Currently, the civic body carries out night conservancy on roads along market areas. Many of the zones use only around two per cent of the work force for night conservancy. Many also deploy a few compactors and tricycles for night conservancy.
As the civic body has planned to purchase 53 small compactors in addition to the existing 156 equipment, a number of such compactors are likely to be used to improve night conservancy. A few big compactors and a number of tricycles will also be used.
The city generates around 4900 tonnes of garbage every day. If night conservancy improves, more than 2000 tonnes are likely to be cleared before dawn.
Three years ago, the Chennai Corporation Council passed a resolution to commence conservancy operations during the nights in commercial areas. Conservancy staff was asked to begin work at 9 p.m. and finish by 2 a.m.
However, the aspiration of residents to have clean roads in the mornings remained a distant dream. The Council in 2010 had even identified areas such as Tiruvottiyur High Road, Rajaji Salai, NSC Bose Road, Anna Salai, Kodambakkam High Road, South Usman Road, South West Boag Road, Pulla Avenue, Kilpauk Garden Road and Jones Road in Saidapet for night conservancy. Corporation officials attributed the practice of dumping of garbage by commercial establishments by 9 a.m. to the failure of night conservancy on many stretches. Existing challenges to night conservancy include inadequate cooperation by commercial establishments towards cleaning their premises at night. Over 95 percent of the properties on bus routes are commercial establishments.
Employees involved in night conservancy will not work during the day. But women employees will not be required to participate in night conservancy operations, said an official of the Corporation. Night conservancy on bus routes near slum localities of some zones still carries a degree of risk, he said.
The expanded city limits have around 350 km of bus routes of which many stretches are in market areas. Total length of interior roads maintained by the Corporation is 5563 km.
