Even as waste collection has been intensified in Vellore city, Corporation officials are clueless about how to dispose piles of garbage generated every day. Faced with a lack of space at existing dump yards, they are now identifying new spots where garbage can be dumped.
Recently, councillors and residents protested over the accumulation of garbage in their areas. “The local body engaged around 540 existing sanitary workers and even roped in 450 more SHG women to collect the garbage. Additional bins and lorries were purchased to facilitate garbage disposal,” said city health officer, C R Priyamvatha.
On an average, 180 tonnes of garbage is generated in the city every day. The Corporation has been utilising 7 acres in Saduperi, about 5 kms from Vellore city, as a dump yard for several decades, ever since Vellore became a municipality. The yard, that receives over 100 tonnes of waste every day, is bursting at its seams. Corporation Mayor P Kartiyayini had asked councillors to identify about 2 to 5 acres of land in their respective wards for garbage disposal. But councillors, citing environmental hazards, failed to come up with suggestions. The Mayor said, “This doubles the work of sanitary workers, as a result, less amount of garbage is transported to Saduperi as there is no place to gather the waste before transporting them in the dump yard.”
Councillor of ward-41, K Suriya Achari said, “Disposing garbage in residential areas, will invite criticism from the public.”
Corporation Commissioner P Janaki Raveendran said, “Two more yards in Moolakollai near Sathuvachari and Sathupalayam near Adukamparai were identified. The Government, through the Integrated Urban Development Mission under SMW scheme has allotted `1 crore to each for the construction of the yard. Provision of water facilities and construction of the compound wall is in progress. Once, the work is done, the composite yards would be used. The officials are still in the process of identifying more places, which could be used as dump yards.”