VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) will soon launch more than 220 auto-rickshaws for segregating waste from households to further improve sanitation standards under its ambit. These auto-rickshaws, equipped with GPS tracking facility and two cameras, will help the public health department officials track them in six divisions (4, 10, 27, 36, 39 and 42 divisions) on a pilot basis.
Over the months, it has become a Herculean task for the corporation to tackle the sanitation and drainage issues plaguing the city. Adding to their woes, segregation of wet and dry waste from households is also not done properly during the pandemic.
Taking note of the matter, VMC commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh has directed the officials concerned to collect the wet and dry waste separately from the households to generate revenue out of it. As part of the special drive, the public will be sensitised about segregation of wet and dry waste before handing it over to the sanitation workers, according to VMC officials.
Venkatesh said that despite being sensitised several times, a section of people are lethargic in segregating waste before handing it over to the sanitary workers forcing them to segregate waste, which, in turn, delays the collection process. Waste should be segregated into different categories—solid, wet, green or debris to make recycling easier, he informed.
To strengthen the waste collection mechanism, the State government has allocated 220 auto-rickshaws under Clean Andhra Pradesh initative. The civic body chief said that the routes of auto-rickshaws will be pre-determined and any deviation or delay will be penalised through an online monitoring system.
Besides, awareness campaigns will be also conducted involving ward volunteers and voluntary organisations to sensitise the public about segregation of wet and dry waste, before handing it over to the sanitation workers. Three coloured bins will be distributed to the households—Green (Wet), Blue (Dry) and Red (harmful wastes) for easy segregation of waste, he added.