Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Apr 24: Antony Waste Management Cell Pvt Ltd has been in charge of handling waste disposal in the city for the last six years. The contract entered into between the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) and Antony Waste Management Cell Pvt Ltd ends next year. So far, the MCC has not yet made up its mind about how to handle garbage once the contract with the said company comes to an end.

Changes in rules governing solid waste management as per which workers handling the garbage cannot be outsourced on contract basis. As of now, over 800 workers are working for Antony Waste Management Cell Pvt Ltd.

The seven-year waste handling contract was given to Antony Waste Management Cell Pvt Ltd when Mahabala Marla was the mayor, for seven years. The company which is Mumbai based, for the first time in the city, handled waste by undertaking house to house collection. The company has however been also blamed for some pitfalls. Even though there was the rule to separate wet and dry waste, this rule was effectively implemented only from last year. Even now, this system has not been totally successful in the city.

Before 2014, the MCC handled the waste. People brought garbage and poured the same into concrete bins stationed at various places and wherever possible, civic workers collected them and dumped the same at Pachanady. The concept of segregating the waste was totally absent even then.

As per the amendment brought to the solid waste management rule 2016 in 2019, only the services of the civic workers of urban administration bodies have to be utilised for this work. The MCC was given exemption from this rule till now, but from next year, it cannot do so. As per information, the MCC plans to obtain service of Antony Waste Management Cell Pvt Ltd workers, take their vehicles and machinery on contract basis and handle garbage. But the final decision has not been taken.

Ramakrishna Math, which has been successfully carrying out Swachha Mangaluru campaign and waste management in Uppinangady since a year, has suggested NGO model for waste disposal. The MCC had given the work on contract to Antony Waste as it was not able to handle waste in a proper way. Ekagamyananda Swamiji of the Math feels that it would be better if people on NGO model propose to handle it. The Math has successfully adopted the wet waste management system in Uppinangady. The swamiji says he wants to make Pachanady a clean area. He says that as a sample, a couple of wards can be handled initially. Everything depends on the urban administration, he feels. He thinks that waste can be handled in a better way in this model at the same expenditure being incurred now.

MCC commissioner Akshy Sridhar, says that the issue of waste disposal after the said contract ends is still in the discussions stage.