Soon, villagers will get to dispose household garbage in the way it should be. As part of efforts to take solid waste management to rural Vellore and ensure sanitation, the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has taken up works to create infrastructure for dumping garbage in every habitation comprising 200 to 300 families.
To start with, 140 panchayats out of the total 743 in Vellore district have been selected on a pilot basis for the solid waste management programme supported by the Government of India this year. The programme will be expanded to other panchayats later on.
DRDA officials said 200 to 300 families were being clubbed for a habitation in a village panchayat. A dumping yard consisting of two pits that will be alternatively used for biodegradable waste and for converting it into manure, and one pit for non-degradable waste of approximately 15 cubic metres was being established along with a segregation shed in each such habitation.
“Work on digging these pits has been taken up on warfooting. Those enrolled in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) have been roped in to create the infrastructure. They will also collect waste from houses and clean roadsides,” Manohar Singh, Project Director, DRDA, Vellore said.
One worker will be allotted for every 150 families, while one tricycle will be provided for every 300 houses.
“The scheme will be launched on May 1. The workers will take the collected waste to the segregation shed. Recyclable waste such as plastic will be separated,” he explained.
He said by deputing one worker for every 150 houses, the problem of staff crisis will be solved. It was staff shortage that remained as one of the problems affecting rural cleanliness. Workers of MGNREGA will now be involved in solid waste management too.
“They will get a wage of Rs. 183 for the 100 days scheme, while they will get paid for 200 days for taking up solid waste management works,” he added. These workers will be attached to the Village Poverty Reduction Committees (VPRC) functioning under Pudhu Vaazhvu Project. Their wages will be released through the VPRCs to ensure transparency. VPRCs will also take care of their welfare, the official said.
Each village panchayat will also receive Rs. 25,000 to purchase basic requirements to implement the scheme. “This is a convergence of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and MGNREGA scheme,” he added.
