Roadsides at Thripunithura have literally become waste dumping sites thanks to the absence of a concrete waste management initiative in the municipality.
A health hazard and an eye sore, waste emanating foul smell gets picked up only once in a blue moon. Maintaining that there is little co-operation from people when it comes to following waste management rules, the municipal authorities said the civic body had been spending around ₹45 lakh a year for collection and transportation of waste to the Brahmapuram plant.
“We do collect plastic and e-waste from households with the help of Kudumbashree units but not food waste,” municipal chairperson R. Chandrika Devi said, adding that food waste should be disposed of at the place of its generation. “Action will be taken against those who throw waste on roadsides. Also, they will be slapped with fines. There were instances where violators were made to pay fines to the tune of ₹10,000 and above,” she said.
The municipality has installed 23 cameras. While they proved a deterrent for a while, there have been instances of the cameras turning dysfunctional too, according to the municipal secretary. Meanwhile, residents are unhappy with waste management in the town. It is learnt that there are no rules or parameters on the kind of waste that should be collected by Kudumbashree units, said a resident. While organic waste is collected from a few apartments and houses, plastic waste is not picked up from certain places.
‘No follow-up action’
The municipal authorities seem to believe that nothing needs to be done with regard to waste management as people have been given the option to purchase biobins or biopots that can be managed at home, said V.P. Prasad, chairman, Thripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents’ Association (TRURA). There is also no follow-up action on how residents are going about the job, he added.
“If Kudumbashree members who pick up inorganic waste are trained in managing biopots, they can give proper instructions to housekeepers at individual homes,” said Mr. Prasad. Such an initiative will ensure that waste gets converted to manure in the proper manner and people adopt eco-friendly options, he added.
The municipality is yet to ascertain the number of houses where a method to process organic waste has been adopted. A number of apartment complexes have come up in the town. While the authorities grant sanction for buildings after ensuring that proper waste management practices are followed, there is no follow-up action.
