TIRUPPUR: The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in Tiruppur district is preparing to monitor and take appropriate legal action against those who illegally dump bulk waste in suburban areas, including along national and state highways.
DRDA Project Director M Vani Eswari said, "Surveillance cameras will soon be installed in key locations in suburban areas of the district. We are taking the necessary steps to initiate legal action against owners and vehicles that bring in bulk waste. The work related to this will be in full swing after the Deepavali festival."
About 573 metric tonnes of garbage is generated daily in the areas of Tiruppur Corporation, which is known as an industrial hub. According to new norms, Tiruppur Corporation is instructing 'bulk waste generators' — those who produce more than 100 kg of garbage daily — to manage their own biodegradable waste. If that is not possible, it must be handed over to the municipal corporation, with a fee of Rs 2 per kg to be paid.
At the same time, bulk waste generators must hand over non-biodegradable waste to the contractor appointed by the corporation and should pay a fee of Rs 2 per kg.
"The corporation has provided adequate facilities for bulk-waste generators to hand over their waste. However, the illegal dumping of bulk waste in public spaces and along roadside continues. Sometimes, bulk waste generators from zone one enter zone four and illegally dump their waste there," a senior corporation official said.
"We are continuously monitoring this matter. In the last one and a half months alone, illegal garbage dumping has been detected in over 200 locations and fines of up to Rs 7 lakh have been imposed," the official added.
Since the corporation has begun imposing fees, there have been complaints that bulk waste generators are dumping their waste outside the corporation limits, in suburban areas, village boundaries, and along national and state highways.
A few days ago, individuals who attempted to dump a load of knitwear waste, transported from Tiruppur in a mini-truck, on the roadside in a suburban area near Palladam were caught by the public and sent back.
"In the Perumanallur and Avinashi areas, bulk waste is being illegally dumped along the Salem-Cochin NH. To monitor this, we installed surveillance cameras at two locations in Perumanallur. But miscreants had damaged them," a senior official of DRDA said.
"We are already short on manpower. However, we are effectively managing garbage in rural areas by utilizing the available workforce. But, the bulk waste that is being dumped illegally poses a problem for us. Strict restrictions are set to be implemented soon through the collector to control this. Recommendations for this have been submitted to the collector," the official added.
Those who illegally dump bulk waste along the roadside can instead hand it over to the contractors we have appointed, the official added.
