Waste will now go into 2 bins

We will start implementing the plan by collecting waste in colour-coded bins from 505 hotels and restaurants in the cantonment area, says Sujatha Gupta Chief Executive, SCB.

The demolition drive in progress at Anna Nagar on Thursday. ( Right) SCB Chief Executive Sujatha Gupta with other officials at the demolition site.– Photos: By arrangement

Taking a cue from Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s call for a more coordinated approach towards sanitation in the twin cities, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has finalised its municipal sold waste (MSW) plan of segregating waste from the source level.

To begin with, commercial establishments and a small number of residential colonies are being roped in to ensure that the dry and wet wastes are separated. The waste will be segregated at a designated collection point and later at a central facility before being processed for auction. Wet waste will be composted for auction.

“We will start implementing the plan by beginning to collect wastes in colour-coded bins from 505 hotels and restaurants in the cantonment area. Simultaneously, we will also bring in hospitals and other commercial establishments even as we develop our own central facility,” said the board’s CEO Sujatha Gupta, adding that awareness programmes are key in ensuring the success of the plan.

In the pilot phase, a select number of resident welfare colonies will be roped in. Ms. Gupta said success in implementing the plan in commercial areas and in the few residential colonies where it will be taken up, will help deploy the plan across the cantonment area. She estimated that it could cost the board Rs.6 crore to get the plan off the ground. In fact, the SCB is banking on the Rs.4 crore the Chief Minister had promised for taking up civic works.

“We are awaiting a sanction from the Telangana government for the Rs.4 crore. The cantonment board will also put in Rs.6 crore to carry out the list of civic infra works that have been already compiled,” board vice-president S. Keshav Reddy said.

The SCB had also conducted its own eight-day ‘Swachh Cantonment’ campaign where officials identified several dozen civic works to be taken up in the area. The entire cantonment was divided into 17 units with each assigned officials from six departments. Every unit was headed by a senior official who supervised works involving clearing garbage and debris, removal of encroachments, arresting water leakage, water supply, repairing streetlights and identifying bigger issues to be included in the list of works.

Each unit has submitted a list of works to the CEO. The board had spent around Rs.40 lakh on sanitation works, an official, not wishing to be identified, claimed.