Zero garbage drive tottering at the edge of collapse
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 30 2012:
Concurrently taken up with the Green City drive amid much hype and promises, the Zero Garbage campaign is today tottering dangerously close at the edge of a
total collapse.
As part of the Zero Garbage campaign, waste material from each household located within the 27 wards of Imphal Municipal Council were collected by pick up trucks to be disposed off at select dumping sites.
However just like the Green City campaign which was taken during the time of the then SPF Government under the Jawaharlal Urban Renewable Mission, the Zero Garbage campaign is today staring at the likelihood of getting derailed.
Just like the tree saplings planted at the launch of the Green City drive never seeing the light of day, failure is today writ large over the Zero Garbage campaign.
Chief Minister O Ibobi, then leading the SPF Government rolled out the Zero Garbage campaign on August 12, 2010 and a little over two years hence, the drive is tottering close to a total collapse.
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Speaking to The Sangai Express officials from MAHUD and Imphal Municipal Council said that the task of picking up garbage and waste material from the households located within the 27 wards of IMC was entrusted to four NGOs.
This was done primarily to give more teeth to the Zero Garbage campaign, they explained.
Each household is to pay Rs 50 per month as service tax to the NGOs picking up the garbage and waste material.
The service of local clubs was also roped in.
To ensure the success of the drive, the then SPF Government released an amount of Rs 2 crores for the said campaign.
However with the service of the NGOs becoming irregular and with local clubs seemingly more interested in the funds allocated, most works related to the Zero Garbage campaign have ground to a halt now, they informed.
The public too seem to be indifferent in the suspension of the service.
To help the NGOs dispense with their service more effectively, the Government had even procured 18 pick up trucks.
Not only this, the Government has also appointed six people each to clean the drains as well as to sweep the roads in each ward.
The MAHUD Department is shelling out the monthly honorarium of the cleaners, they informed.
However these measures do not seem to have worked to the advantage of the campaign as demands have been put up that each household should shell out more than the Rs 50 being charged.
Some of those engaged in picking up the garbage have even drawn up the comparative cost that the people would incur if they were to hire private cleaners.
Measures to ensure that the Zero Garbage campaign picks are being discussed, disclosed the officials.