THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The operations of enforcement squads deployed by the local self-government department (LSGD) to check violations related to solid waste management and curb environmental pollution have hit a roadblock — staff crunch.
The understaffed Suchitwa Mission, the agency coordinating the squads’ activities, is struggling as there’s already enough work on its plate. Suchitwa Mission is the nodal agency for many sanitation-related projects in the state.
“We have many responsibilities. A majority of our district offices are understaffed. We cannot use temporary staff for squad activities,” said a Suchitwa Mission official. The LSGD deployed the squads following the High Court’s intervention post the fire outbreak at the Brahmapuram dump yard.
The primary responsibility of the squads — formed to enforce the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 — is to conduct inspections and take action against violators. They can impose spot fines on people dumping waste illegally, confiscate vehicles, and initiate action with the help of the police. They will also monitor illegal littering in public places and take steps to clear the dumping areas where the burning of garbage is rampant.
Meanwhile, Suchitwa Mission has urged the government to deploy more LSGD staff for the squads’ work as it is currently disrupting the Mission’s day-to-day operations. “We have written to the government urging it to assign officials from the joint director office under LSGD for squad activities. To date, we have not let our responsibilities hinder the operations of the squads. Since this is a permanent setup, we need more resources,” said a senior official of Suchitwa Mission.
Meanwhile, a meeting chaired by the chief minister recently decided to form special teams under the police department in every district to book waste management-related violations. “The police have the power to enforce all these rules. This will be in addition to the activities of the enforcement squad,” said a senior official of LSGD.
On the job
Squads have members from police, Pollution Control Board, Suchitwa Mission, internal vigilance wing and LSGD
2,852 violations booked between March 23 and May 16