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Crores spent, but Dharamshala scraps underground dustbin scheme
Over 100 such dustbins were installed and had cost nearly ₹7 crore; panel formed to deliberate alternative use
The
city has taken another step moved towards becoming dustbin-free, with the municipal corporation (MC) deciding to discontinue underground dustbin scheme. The move, however, came after crores being spent to install the bins in the first place.
The officials said the
work has begun to junk the underground dustbins that had been put in place, with a local committee also being constituted to deliberate whether they can have an alternative use. The recommendations have also been sent to the directorate of urban development.
While most of the underground bins have already been removed, the work for scrapping those remaining is under progress.
Launched in 2017 in Dharamshala, the scheme was at the time being tipped as one that would transform Dharamshala into the first Smart City in the country to have such a mechanism.
According to civic body officials, over 100 such dustbins were installed and had cost nearly ₹7 crore. MC officials, however, said the dustbins had become hotspots for dumping of waste.
“Before scrapping the scheme, the issue of rain not being factored in at the time
of its inception was also flagged. At several points,
the dustbins have started rusting and leading to the seepage into groundwater,” an official said.
Meanwhile, Dharamshala mayor Neenu Sharma said they were receiving complaints from residents about the dustbins becoming garbage hotspots. “These dustbins were having several problems and were getting filled with water due to rainfall thus overflowing. Since people were agitated, we took the decision remove them,” she said.
As per the scheme, underground dustbins were to have technology imported from Holland. It was claimed that the dustbins would have sensors through which the authorities would come to know about their filling status on their mobile phones. But the mayor said that they did not have any sensors installed.
Municipal commissioner Zaffar Iqbal said the main idea was to make the city dustbin-free under the new Swachh Bharat Policy, adding, “We have introduced door-to-door waste collection service and the MC is already spending ₹12 crore annually on collection, processing and transportation of the waste.”
He said if residents face an issue with the door-to-door waste collection, they should bring the matter to the civic body’s notice.
The civic body, meanwhile, is now planning to put up small concealed dustbins at places with high tourist footfall.
