Kullu MC urges govt to bear dry waste transportation cost

Kullu, September 1

The Kullu Municipal Council (MC) has urged the government to bear the cost of the transportation of dry waste to cement plants at Barmana in Bilaspur and Parwanoo in Solan district.

Kullu MC president Gopal Krishan Mahant said office-bearers had unanimously okayed the Rs 17.53 crore annual budget during a meeting on Friday. He added that the development works in Kullu town will be expedited with this budget.

Stating that dry waste collected from the town was being sent to the cement factories in sacks, the MC president said they will approach the state government and Urban Development Department to bear the transportation cost.

He added that a shredder plant will be installed in the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) site in the Sarwari area of Kullu town, after which the transportation cost for the dry waste will come down considerably.

“Wet waste was being converted to manure in composter unit installed in the MRF site and 15 dedicated sanitation workers are taking care of this site,” he said, while appealing to residents to segregate wet and dry waste for proper management of garbage.

He said the fee for door-to-door garbage collection had been increased nominally. At the same time, the MC was continuously working for proper garbage management, he said.

Mahant said the MC office building in Akhara Bazaar will be renovated. “Parking facilities will be developed in the town. The liquor vends near temples and schools will be shifted,” he added.

Meanwhile, the residents of the town said a stop-gap arrangement for garbage management should be replaced with a permanent solution by earmarking site for a garbage treatment plant away from habitation.

Dr Baldev, a senior resident of Sarwari, said dumping and treating waste in the MRF site located in the middle of town can lead to outbreak of diseases. “Within over a month of using of the MRF site for waste disposal, the living condition in the area has deteriorated,” he claimed.