Vijayawada: Though the state government had launched the Swachh AP programme in Vijayawada with much fanfare, the fact remains that there is no dumping yard to keep the city clean.
The civic administration has been hunting for a suitable site to dump the about 600 tonnes of garbage generated by the 11 lakh people of Vijayawada, but this search has been in vain, so far.
About 4,000 sanitation workers sweep the city every day, leaving the responsibility of shifting the garbage on the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. Since there is no permanent dumping yard, the VMC has been shifting the garbage to the outskirts of the city and burning it on the site of the Excel Plant.
However, the acrid smoke that billows from the burning garbage is leaving the people living in the neighbourhood angry.
CPI city secretary D. Shankar said that thick smoke comes is a matter of health concern and a real problem.
Meanwhile, municipal staff continues to burn garbage after dumping it the three canals that flow through the river.
More than a decade ago, the VMC had allotted the land to Sriram Energy and Excel Plant for producing energy and fertilisers from the garbage. However, the two companies could not make a profit and the project was discontinued.
Due to this, the VMC was left with a lot of garbage on its hands, and no place to dump it in.
According to VMC officials, about 100 acres of land is needed for the dumping yard. The VMC and revenue department had visited various possible sites on the outskirts of the city, but failed to finalise any as the locals opposed it.
Earlier, the VMC had deposited Rs 9 crore with the revenue department for the land. After it failed to provide land to the VMC, the revenue department returned the money. However, the two departments are still on the lookout for a possible site.
VMC chief medical and health officer P. Ratnavali admitted that the absence of a dumping yard is a serious problem. She said that recently, a VMC team visited the two possible sites at Pathapadu and Adivinekkalam villages but nothing concrete could be said now.
She said that the VMC is planning to start a plant to generate energy from the garbage. “Some private companies are in touch with regarding the project,” she said.
