Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Jul 14: Padubidri gram panchayat has drawn up a plan of waste disposal, both solid waste and effluents, which has been the main problem plaguing this gram panchayat since long. The plan was presented to the panchayat members at a meeting of the gram panchayat members held at the gram panchayat hall here in the presence of the department officials on Monday July 13.
Two mega industries have already set their base in the neighbourhood of Padubidri. While Padubidri has been progressing fast, waste disposal has always remained a point of contention, with repeated complaints about the effluents of hotels flowing on the road making newspaper appearances often. In the past, people had even moved the court, relating to the waste disposal. Under the Total Sanitation scheme, a sum of Rs 20 lac had been spent for the disposal of effluents but this project is no more functional.
The problem of waste disposal here has become acute after the spot used for dumping of waste was handed over to Suzlon Company. The gram panchayat wanted to wriggle out of these problems and had requested the government to implement a permanent project for the same. As per the instructions of the department, the services of a firm named Niketan from Bangalore was hired for conducting survey. This firm has now created a blue print of four crore rupees plan for the disposal of solid waste and effluents.
Under the scheme, the effluents will be diverted to Nadpal Kola on Hoigegudde road where it will be recycled for agriculture after processing. The solid waste will dumped in a 50-cent plot donated by Suzlon company. Sanitation Campaign district coordinator Sarala advised the panchayat to organize awareness camps and take steps to ban defecation in the open and levy penalty to offenders as per the present rules.
Vijayanand Nayak of the zilla panchayat engineering sub-division, assistant project officer B S Upadhya, Sri Kshetra Dharmastala Manjunatheshwara Rural Development Project supervisor Yogini Nayak, zilla panchayat member Shashikant Padubidri, gram panchayat president Sumitra Devadiga and vice president Mithun R Hegde were present.
Such an important meeting was marked by the absence of over 50% of the panchayat members.