Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, May 7: The special session of the city corporation was held at the auditorium of the city corporation building on Tuesday May 6, for the specific purpose of giving information about contracting solid waste disposal work to a private company.
A number of city corporators objected to the fact that they were kept in the dark on the issue of giving the work of solid waste disposal of the city on contract to Mumbai-based Antony Waste Handling Cell Private Limited (AWHCPL). They reminded the officials that discussions had been on since 2007 relating to entrusting this work to Antony Company, and they were not aware about latest developments.
The state government has already given its nod for handing over waste disposal work to this private company, in an effort to find a lasting solution to discrepancies and loopholes found in the current system. City mayor, Mahabala Marla, tried to pacify the corporators by informing that the issue, which was in discussion at various stages, has reached a decisive phase, and this meeting had been specifically convened to give this information to city corporators. The mayor promised to provide detailed information about tender and other aspects of the scheme to all the corporators within two to three days.
Corporators, Naveen D’Souza, D K Ashok, and Deepak Poojary, wanted to know as to whether the city corporation has given thought about new problems that might crop up because of handing over this work to a new entity, and whether they are sure that the lacunae found in the current system would stand fully addressed by this arrangement. They also wanted to know the source from which the corporation plans to fund Rs 18 crore it will have to annually spend for this project. They said they are opposed to levy of any additional fee on the citizens, as they have been promised of not enhancing taxes.
Corporators like chief whip, Shashidhar Hegde and Harinath felt that it would be wise to move further after providing full details of the new arrangement. They agreed that this scheme will be required to realize the dream of turning Mangalore into a clean city.
The representatives of the company said that their company has been handling waste disposal work at various places since the last three decades, and that this city will be first in Karnataka to come under them. The company plans to divide the city into two parts, north and south, for waste disposal, and sweep 25 km of road in the city through machines. All the vehicles will be fitted with global positioning systems, and the company plans to collect 100 percent waste from every house spread over 60 wards of the city, they explained.
City corporation commissioner Ajith Kumar Hegde, informed that the government had written to the city corporation to draft a work plan to implement this scheme, as the city corporation had given its nod for the same earlier. He said that a report will be submitted to the government if the corporators are opposed to this arrangement.
Deputy mayor Kavitha Vasu, and joint commissioner Gokuldas Nayak, were present.