Thiruvananthapuram: Haritha Keralam Mission is not replicating the waste management service provider model of Thiruvananthapuram, which according to some working in the field is a cause for concern. In the new model, the local body will provide a consultancy fee to the ‘Haritha Sahaya Sangham’, the waste management agency which has been entrusted with supporting the ‘Haritha Karma Sena’. This is unlike the Thiruvananthapuram model in which the service provider needs to earn revenue from the campaign. Their success would mean the campaign’s success as well.
There are waste management experts who feel that the fixed payment model which is about to be adopted might dull the campaign vigour and performance of the ‘Haritha Sahaya Sangham’. However there are checks and balances to ensure that the consultancy would not be tardy, says Haritha Keralam Mission vice-chairperson T. N. Seema. “The consultancy will be signing an agreement with the local body. If there are any issues, the local body can take necessary action,” she says.
The guidelines issued by the Mission say that the local body can penalise if there are complaints about the consultancy or Haritha Karma Sena. There are fears that consultancies favoured by the ruling party would monopolise the waste management field. However Seema says, “Haritha Keralam Mission will be bringing more service providers on board, as at present there are just 7 consultancies empanelled by Suchitwa Mission. There is no question about it getting limited to a few consultancies as it would not be possible for one to handle so many panchayaths and municipalities. Moreover we need more consultancies who can train the ‘Haritha Karma Sena’ in different waste technologies.”
