VELLORE: Vellore Corporation Commissioner A Sulthana on Monday urged councillors and officials to work together to strengthen doorstep garbage collection, noting that the civic body has not yet achieved 100% coverage even as other corporations in the state are focusing on waste segregation.
Speaking at the corporation council meeting, Sulthana said sanitation workers were collecting garbage from certain accumulation points on roads from 6 am, leaving them to reach households only around 7.30 am, when many residents have already left for work.
She said improper doorstep collection was resulting in garbage accumulation on roads.
She reiterated the prescribed coverage targets of 200 houses per tricycle garbage collection vehicle, 400 houses per battery-operated vehicle and 750 houses per light commercial vehicle (LCV). City Health Officer (CHO) Prathap Kumar said sanitation workers could save time and cover more households if residents segregated waste before discarding.
Sanitation workers' concerns also came up during the meeting. Councillors said sanitation staff employed at Corporation schools had not received their August salaries. Prathap said the delay was due to the process of issuing a new tender and assured that salaries would be paid by the 8th or 10th of every month hereafter.
Another councillor said sanitation workers were being forced to work continuously from 6 am to 2 pm following a change in working hours. Earlier, they worked in two shifts — 6 am to 11 am and 2 pm to 5 pm — with a break in between. When the councillor sought reintroduction of the earlier schedule, Prathap assured workers would be provided with fixed breaks.
Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar alleged that a large quantity of garbage was being dumped in water bodies instead of being taken to micro composting centres (MCCs). Councillors said garbage dumping near water bodies had also led to pigs and stray dogs gathering in the areas, posing health and safety concerns.
On the extensive use of plastic bags within the Corporation limits, Prathap said awareness programmes were being conducted among shopkeepers to discourage their use. He added that inspections were being carried out at large commercial establishments and fines imposed on violators.
A total of 104 resolutions were passed at the meeting, including naming a community hall in Kaspa after former MLA MP Sarathi and prohibiting the installation of advertisement banners adjacent to the Corporation's Zone 3 office.
