CUTTACK: In a bid to decentralise segregation and processing of waste, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has geared up for strengthening door-to-door waste collection and setting up Micro Composting Centres (MCC) in the city.
Implementing the Tamil Nadu sanitation model, the civic body has set up a MCC at Potapokhari while two others are under construction near Biju Bhawan and Bikash Bhawan here. Tender has already been floated for construction of seven more such facilities in the city. Efforts are on for identification of land to set up MCCs in rest 49 Wards, said CMC Deputy Commissioner Sanjibita Ray.
The corporation has also planned to generate revenue by selling the manure produced from MCCs. As per plan, local self-help groups (SHGs) will be roped in for marketing of the manure and the revenue will be utilised for welfare of the denizens.
Meanwhile, the civic body has sent sample of the manure to a Hyderabad-based laboratory for testing of its quality before fixing its rate for sale. To enhance the quality of manure, the corporation has decided to use curd and molasses in the process of composting the waste. After using the manure in its own nursery and parks, the civic body will sell the surplus manure among farmers at a reasonable price, said a senior official.
On the other hand, the CMC has engaged ‘Swachh Sathis’ in all the 59 Wards of the city to sensitise residents about west collection and bring behavioural changes among the households.The sanitation agents nominated by women SHGs would raise awareness on collection of segregated waste and explain the method of composting waste at MCCs.
The move of the Housing and Urban Development department to upgrade the sanitation system in the city came after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2017 reproached the State Government on improper implementation of waste management and poor sanitation in urban areas. Earlier, a delegation of higher officials of different civic bodies across the State had visited Chennai to study the sanitation model.