Early Times Report
Jammu, June 8: Exhibiting lethargic attitude regarding mandatory disposal of solid waste generated within municipal limits so as to avoid unhygienic and insanitary conditions as many as nine Urban Local Bodies in the State have totally failed to set up mechanism to handle and dispose off the solid waste by establishment and maintaining waste storage facilities.
Sources told Early Times that as per Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, every Municipal authority, within its territorial area, is responsible for collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of Municipal Solid Waste.
"The rules further provide for establishment and maintaining waste storage facilities in such a manner that these don't create unhygienic and insanitary conditions besides providing of white storage bins for recycle, green for biodegradable and black for other wastes and treatment of all such wastes in scientific way. Rules also provide for use of covered vehicles for transportation of waste and garbage as it should not be visible to public or exposed to open environment," they informed.
They further said that no mechanism was in place in nine ULBs across the State including Batote, Khour, Rajouri, Reasi, Udhampur, Tangmarg, Pulwama, Budgam, and Kulgam to handle and dispose off the wastes in accordance with the provisions of Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000 thus posing a great threat to human health and surrounding environment. They further added that the number of storage bins available with the ULBs was also found to be insufficient to cater to the demand of the area and the waste was being dumped in open sites near public places, along streets and main roads giving birth to unhygienic conditions.
"At many occasion it has been observed that the waste was being transported to open, uncovered vehicles as the ULBs were neither equipped with such facilities nor possessing tarpaulin sheets, poly sheets to cover garbage carrying vehicles," they said. Astonishingly, the land for establishment of a Solid Waste Management plant has been identified in case of MC Reasi and MC Khour but the piece of land has yet to be handed over to the department. While in case of MC Rajouri the land has not been identified till date and ULBs Udhampur and Batote have not taken approval of the higher authorities. |
