ONGOLE:Amid protests by the opposition parties, the Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC) and Chirala Municipality are gearing up to make arrangements for the implementation of tax on garbage collection from citizens starting October 2, as per the guidelines of Clean AP (CLAP) programme.The State civic authorities have selected OMC and Chirala urban local bodies (ULBs) from the district for the implementation of the garbage cess in the first phase.
The OMC authorities had implemented the three basket waste segregation model, on an experiment basis, in the 36th division of Nirmal Nagar. So far, the three baskets, one each for wet, dry and medical waste, have been distributed only in three divisions - 18,34,36. While the OMC has called for tenders to distribute cost-free garbage bins to the remaining divisions, it might take a few weeks to complete the procedure.
Meanwhile, the two garbage transfer stations, which are required for the disposal of the waste, are also not ready yet.
The OMC has allotted one garbage truck for every 1,000 households in the city, to collect the garbage. While the civic body has allotted 25 garbage trucks so far, 25 more trucks are yet to be allotted. The civic body will charge the poor `50 per month, for the collection of garbage, while other people will have to`100 per month. The OMC will pay `69,000 per month to each garbage truck.
OMC commissioner K Bhagya Lakshmi informed that they are making all arrangements to distribute the three garbage bins to every household. She also reiterated that under the CLAP programme, the tax on garbage collection will be implemented in the OMC limits.
GMC council meeting held peacefully
Guntur: At the council meeting headed by Mayor Kavati Manohar Naidu on Friday, the members discussed issues listed on the agenda pertaining to traffic, illegal land encroachments in the city. TDP members questioned the steps being taken to curb the spread of seasonal diseases and asked about the status of eviction of land encroachments and the progress of various development works. Apart from some arguments, the meeting was otherwise peacefully held.