Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, said on Friday that the State government would set up a separate corporation under his Ministry for ensuring scientific disposal of garbage in towns and cities.
He was speaking at the inaugural function of the cleanliness campaign organised by the Home Guards and other organisations here.
Mr. Sorake said that presently most of the towns in the State were still disposing the garbage generated in their areas in the traditional manner. The proposed corporation would study the problem and provide solutions for scientific disposal of garbage.
It would also look into recycling of garbage. His ministry was encouraging and aiding towns and cities in the State to set up Solid Waste Management Plants to solve the problem of garbage disposal.
According to a survey, while 38 per cent of people were living in the urban areas in the State, nearly 62 per cent were in the rural areas. Hence, rural areas too were facing the problem of garbage disposal. The State Government was also giving importance to scientific garbage disposal in rural areas also.
The government had set up a Solid Waste Management Plant at Alevoor near Udupi. The garbage of Udupi, Kaup and surrounding areas was being treated in this plant. The State government had taken up the cleanliness drive both in rural and urban areas. It had already issued circulars to the Deputy Commissioners and other officials in this regard, he said.
PROPOSAL
Mr. Sorake said that his ministry had submitted a proposal to the government to convert Kaup into a Town Municipal Council (TMC) by merging villages such as Mulloor, Padu, Uliyargoli and Mallaru villages. A Rs. 51 crore drinking water project for Kaup and its surrounding had also been submitted to the government.
The government had already approved Rs. three crore for construction of underground drainage system for Kaup in the first phase. Another proposal of Rs. 32 crore for the extension of the underground drainage system had been sought in Kaup. “We also want Kaup to be developed as a taluk headquarters in the future,” Mr. Sorake said.
Earlier, Mr. Sorake cleaned the area near Kalya Mari shrine with a broom. The Home Guards, students of various educational institutions and members of various organisations, cleaned the streets of Kaup and took out a procession propagating the message of cleanliness.
