The Corporation, in order to achieve the mission of ‘Litter-free Tirunelveli’, has proposed a new system of collecting non-degradable plastic waste from the residents on Wednesdays.
Commissioner S. Sivasubramanian started meeting people from various walks of life with the first meeting held at Melapalayam on Thursday with the heads of various Jamaaths.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Commissioner S. Sivasubramanian said the Corporation, as part of its solid waste management scheme, has released a subsidy of Rs. 8,000 each for the construction of individual household toilets in 3,100 houses and 2,800 beneficiaries had completed the construction of toilets to avoid open defecation.
Moreover, 160 public toilets, which had been constructed in the areas where poor families were living, had been renovated so as to encourage them to use it. Since the Corporation did not have adequate staff for maintaining these public toilets, NGOs or self-help groups would be involved in this mission to avoid open defecation.
“Apart from the public toilets, the toilets in the Corporation schools will also be maintained by private agencies or SHGs. We’re in the process of finalising tenders for giving the rights for maintaining the toilets,” Mr. Sivasubramanian said.
Since polythene bags and plastic waste was accumulating everywhere, the users were being urged to segregate the non-degradable waste at the source while they handover the waste to the Corporation sanitary workers.
“Since the Corporation’s appeal for segregation of plastic waste at source has not elicited the desired cooperation from the public, the urban civic body has started sending letters to every household appealing to them to segregate the plastic waste getting generated in their homes, keeping it and handing the same to the conservancy workers of the Corporation on Wednesdays. This scheme will come into effect from December 21 onwards,” Mr. Sivasubramanian said.
He also appealed to the residents to download the ‘Swachhata mobile app’ to register their mobile numbers and give suggestions or register complaints in connection with the conservancy operations of the Corporation.
