TIRUCHY: Enviornmental activists and the public have urged the authorities to stop the practice of burning and dumping of waste at various places across the city.
According to sources, the Tiruchy Corporation introduced door-to-door garbage collection in all wards in 2018 to make the city clean and green. The drive was launched to collect biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste from every household. Biodegradable waste was to be converted into fertiliser at
micro-composting centres and non-biodegradable waste recycled.
However, sanitation workers allegedly do not collect the waste properly and people end up dumping garbage on the roads. Many a time, sanitation workers dump excess garbage at various places such as Oyamari, Anna Nagar and Konakarai. Sometimes, they even set the pile on fire.
Residents said several complaints filed with the corporation officials in this regard have gone in vain.
Speaking to TNIE, S Veeralaskhmi, a resident of Mahalakshmi Nagar, said, "Sanitation workers do not collect garbage regularly in our area. Even when they come, they turn off the public announcement system and, sometimes, skip houses. When we inquired the workers about this, they did not respond properly. This
is one of the reasons people dump waste on street corners."
A Hasan, a resident of Anna Nagar, said, "Our area is surrounded by garbage. Workers are dumping waste collected from several places on the roadside. The stench and health hazards are not being taken seriously by civic authorities. This has to be addressed at the earliest."
S Anandhan, an autorickshaw driver said, "Garbage, including plastics, are often dumped and burned in Konakarai area. Thick smoke engulfs the vicinity, greatly reducing visibility. This affects movement on the roads, besides damaging people's health."
When contacted, an official from the corporation said, "The commissioner has issued an order to clear the garbage dumped at all places in the city and work is under way."