Already facing flak over poor management of solid waste in the city, Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) authorities have lagged far behind in finding an appropriate solution for heaps of organic waste lying untreated on city roads.
In the absence of a proper mechanism to collect, transport and turn the tree leaves and other green waste into manure, the waste is either disposed off in regular trash or burnt on a regular basis leading to pollution and breathing blues for the residents.
The areas which have mounds of organic waste littered along the roadsides, include Mall road, College road, Ghumar Mandi also the inner roads of Sarabha Nagar and Gurdev Nagar. As per the norms, the waste should be collected separately from regular trash and dumped in compost pits on designated sites where it is turned into manure thus saving it from being added to the regular trash.
Notably, the city generates around 1,100 metric tons of organic and inorganic waste every day which is dumped at the Tajpur dump site spread over 50 acres.
MC had also decided to buy a dedicated shredder at a cost of ₹16 lakh through which a huge quantity of the organic waste will be treated every day, the project is yet to fully come into effect.
{{/usCountry}}MC had also decided to buy a dedicated shredder at a cost of ₹16 lakh through which a huge quantity of the organic waste will be treated every day, the project is yet to fully come into effect.
{{/usCountry}}Sharing the concern, Manjeet Singh, a resident of Green Park near college road said that several incidents where the dry leaves have been set on fire by unidentified persons have been recorded in the area. He added that along with creating pollution the fires can spread and cause an emergency.
Another resident, Jaskirat Singh stated that the unmindful step of concretisation of the roadsides with interlock tiles around the trees has also aggravated the problem. He said before concretisation the tree leaves would fall and used to get absorbed into the soil. The waste which is mostly burnt should be transported to the designated sites as per the solid waste management rules prescribed by National Green Tribunal (NGT), he added.
MC officials shift blames
MC sanitation officer Ashwani Sahota said sweepers collect the organic waste on the roadside as they have no mechanism to shift these to the dedicated compost pits. He said the responsibility for the organic waste lies with the horticulture department and the sweepers having been directed not to burn the waste.
MC horticulture department junior engineer Kirpal Singh stated that the organic waste in the public parks is collected in dedicated compost pits and is turned into manure. He said that there is an absence of a mechanism to shift the organic waste collected on the roadside at designated places. He added that the shredder which will turn over 1,000 kilograms of organic waste into manure will be put to use soon.