For the first time, Chennai Corporation will stop dumping garbage at the Pallikaranai yard and also initiate stringent action against those who trespass the site.
Since Saturday, residents in the neighbourhood of the dumping yard have been severely affected after a major fire broke out there. In order to prevent such incidents, the civic body has decided to suspend the transportation of garbage to Pallikaranai.
Officials of the Corporation said that every day, the dumping yard at Pallikaranai received about 100-120 metric tonnes of garbage generated from Alandur. This would now be sent to the nearby site in Perungudi, which receives nearly 2,200 metric tonnes of waste daily.
Corporation Commissioner D. Karthikeyan said that this was the first step towards remediation of the Pallikaranai dump yard, which is spread across 15 acres.
The civic body also plans to remediate similar facilities in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur for which tenders to choose the right technology are under scrutiny. Integrated solid waste management facilities would then be set up outside city limits.
The civic body has received expressions of interest from 31 multi-national companies to supply suitable technology for its solid waste management initiatives. It is also in the process of identifying alternative regional landfills.
It may be recalled that the Corporation commenced its search for sustainable technology in the wake of the National Green Tribunal setting aside the environmental clearance granted by the State government to the integrated solid waste management facility in Perungudi.
The Corporation also plans to initiate police action against trespassers into the Pallikaranai dump yard and deploy more security personnel to closely monitor the site. It will also strengthen video surveillance in both the Perungudi and Pallikaranai dumping yards. Officials of the Corporation said closed circuit cameras would be installed in a week.
Mayor Saidai S.Duraisamy who visited the site on Wednesday instructed officials to bring the fire, which has still not been completely put out, under control and prevent it from spreading further. The fire continues to pose problems for motorists.
A press release said that he also instructed officials to record the procedure of lorries dumping garbage in the yard and improve surveillance.
