The Ernakulam District Planning Committee (DPC) has approved waste management projects worth 5.24-crore for the 2024-25 fiscal.
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The projects were endorsed as part of the approval given for projects submitted by the local bodies for 2024-25. Local bodies have included these projects under the waste-free Kerala project of the government. The Department of Local Self Government had planned to turn the State waste-free by 2025.
Manoj Moothedan, president of the Ernakulam District Panchayat, said that the local bodies have to take up more projects under the waste-free Kerala project. The government has given priority for initiating waste-free projects in each local body, he added.
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The district panchayat president urged the civic bodies to ensure proper planning while formulating waste management projects. The local bodies have to gear up to meet the targets set for this fiscal, he said.
Nearly 86 local bodies had submitted its annual proposals for approval before the DPC. Of this, the committee approved annual projects submitted by 83 local bodies. These projects were vetted by various sub-committees before placing for approvals. The committee has recommended changes in the projects that lacked clarity and remained incomplete.
The decision to provide enhanced focus on waste-management projects forms part of the decision by the Department of Local Self Government to address the gaps in waste collection, storage and disposal systems.