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| Asian Development Bank pulls up SMC for its failure to segregate waste | | Handcarts, cycle rickshaws left to 'rust' at Achan | |  Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
srinagar, Nov 26: Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pulled up Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for its 'lackadaisical' attitude in segregation of waste at source. The ADB has in fact threatened to stop the funds to SMC in case it does not improve its performance.
Taking a strong note of the 'rusting' of equipments, the ADB has even gone to the extent of recovering Rs. 2.6 crores from the SMC in case there is no improvement in the performance vis-a-vis segregation of waste. The ADB has said that SMC has wasted the money which was meant to segregate the waste.
Sources told Early Times that a team of ADB visited the landfill site at Achan near Eidgah where the SMC dumps the waste collected from different houses and commercial establishments located in the city. The team was shocked to see that the handcarts and cycle rickshaws provided for segregation of waste are lying idle and left to 'rust' by the SMC authorities.
"The team found that 1,000 handcarts and 300 cycle rickshaws procured by Jammu & Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (J&K ERA) under the ADB funding and provided to SMC for providing better sanitation facilities to the public in Srinagar were lying totally idle dumped and gathering rust as well as dust at municipal landfill site at Achan," said sources.
Sources said these equipments have been procured in September 2014 on the request of SMC, but since then these have not been utilized by SMC for the purposes they were meant to be. They said the team of ADB better known as Mission Team got infuriated with the fact that the equipments that could have gone a long way in improving the sanitation have not been used till date.
"The equipments were provided by ERA to SMC to facilitate segregation of waste at source in a better manner and the same has been kept as a pre-condition by ADB before approval for construction of cell 3 at Achan landfill site in Srinagar. Segregation of waste at source would increase the life of landfill cell," said sources.
Sources said on the contrary the equipments have been left to rust by SMC at Achan landfill. The ADB has since then expressed its serious concern on the issue and raised the matter with Chief Secretary, CEO J&K ERA and Commissioner SMC, said sources.
"The ADB Mission Team made it clear that if SMC does not repair and put these equipments to use the full loan amount spent on this procurement which is approximately Rs. 2.6 crores shall have to be refunded back to ADB. ADB once again reiterated its condition for segregation of waste at source in at least 100 market places by SMC for approval of Cell 3 at Achan landfill," said sources.
Acknowledging that there has been a delay in the utilization of equipments meant for the segregation of waste, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Showkat Ahmad Zargar said that the Corporation has identified three wards where the handcarts and cycle rickshaws would be used.
"In collaboration with an NGO namely Chintan we are in process of allotting the equipments in Lal Chowk, Karan Nagar and Hyderpora wards of Srinagar city. While as the work is going on smoothly in Lal Chowk ward; the work is not so smooth in Karan Nagar. The work would be started in Hyderpora ward as well," said Commissioner SMC.
Zargar said that although the plan has been approved by the ADB, but the funds have not been released so far. He admitted the fact that ADB has said that they would not be releasing funds for the third cell pending the successful completion of first phase of this activity. |
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