The Green Task Force in Kozhikode city is all set to go digital. The task force members will now carry swiping machines with them to collect user fee from shops and houses. The project was launched on a pilot basis in Wards 61 and 62 on Monday.
There are around 500 Green Task Force members in the Corporation, who collect biodegradable as well as non-biodegradable waste from establishments and houses. The user fee depends on the quantity of the waste collected. It could be a minimum of ₹60 for non-biodegradable waste and a maximum of ₹10,000. However, bigger establishments such as malls pay around ₹25,000 per month as user fee.
The decision to introduce swiping machines comes after several users expressed difficulty to pay in cash. “With the swiping machine, the fee goes directly to the account of the force and there is proper record for every transaction,” said K.M. Gireeshan, project manager of Green Task Force, Kozhikode Corporation. He said there were plans to use a UPI platform for online cash transactions, which enables users to pay the fee without the task force members visiting them. At present, urban local bodies at Talipparamba and Kannur are the only ones in the State to have made arrangements to collect user fee digitally.
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Meanwhile, the task force is yet to be in full swing in many wards of the Corporation. “We have trained all the task force members and they are ready for deployment. But it is the absence of enough material recovery facilities (MRFs) that is stopping them from getting on the field,” said Mr. Gireeshan. At present, the Kozhikode Corporation has MRFs at Njeliyanparamba and West Hill. The tender proceedings have been completed for six other MRFs, which are expected to be completed in three months.