With its continued appeal to segregate waste at source, Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) on Friday asked people to take it seriously to contain the spread of COVID-19 to sanitary workers and protect their overall health.
Addressing presspersons Mayor Premananda Shetty said that Karnataka Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and Mangaluru City Corporation Solid Waste Management Bye-laws, 2018, made it mandatory to segregate waste at source as wet, dry and sanitary. The corporation under its bye-laws and as per the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal can impose fine up to ₹25,000 on those who failed to segregate waste at source. It can also file criminal cases against such persons. People should not give scope for the civic body to resort to such extreme steps, and segregate waste at source on their own.
The Mayor said that people should not mix used face masks, hand gloves and other sanitary/medical wastes, especially during the present times when the spread of COVID-19 is yet to come under full control, with the dry and wet waste and hand over the same to the solid waste collectors of the civic body. People should give medical/sanitary waste separately by wrapping it up in papers or in yellow colour bio-bags.
Some sanitary workers at the waste processing unit of the corporation at Pachchanady have already contracted the infection. Many more are under the risk of getting COVID-19.
The Commissioner of the corporation, Akshy Sridhar, said that four sanitary workers have now contracted COVID-19 at Pachchanady unit.
Mr. Sridhar said: “Leaving the rules apart, people should use their common sense. It is the duty of all to segregate waste at source and it is the need of the hour. It takes only a few minutes. Segregating waste at source is also a part of lifestyle change.”
Appreciation certificate
The Commissioner said that the civic body will give ‘Best Practicer’ appreciation certificate to those who did it seriously. If there are any complaints on solid waste management people can complain by calling the toll free number 155313 or can send messages to the WhatsApp number 9449007722 with details.
Mr. Sridhar said that if people handed over segregated waste the landfill site disasters like the ones which took place in 2019 in Pachchanady could be avoided.
