Eyeing a better cleanliness rank, LMC asks EcoGreen to begin solid waste treatment from first week of 2020

To improve the state capital’s rank in the next year’s cleanliness survey (Swachh Survekshan ranking), the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has directed door-to-door waste collection agency EcoGreen to begin treatment of solid waste within the first week of the New Year.

In the Swachh Survekshan 2019, Lucknow was ranked 121 from among the 562 cities surveyed. Officials said that efforts are being made to better the city’s rank this year.

However, over 2.5 lakh tonne of untreated waste is lying dumped at the Shivri waste treatment plant for the past few months. This mound of solid waste poses a direct threat to the environment as well as health of the residents of nearby areas who have been complaining regularly.

Municipal commissioner Indramani Triapthi said, “The LMC has already served a notice to EcoGreen to start treating the waste, as it is getting dangerous (to leave it untreated for such a long time). Besides, having all that solid waste there will also affect the city’s swachhta ranking adversely. The ranking competition will start from January 20, next year.”

To recall, in April this year, the UP solid waste management monitoring committee, constituted by an order of the National Green Tribunal, had imposed heavy fines on the municipal corporation, EcoGreen and the Cantonment Board, Lucknow. This was done in view of their failure to comply with the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016.

While the LMC was slapped with a fine of Rs 5 crore, EcoGreen, responsible for door-to-door collection of waste and running the Shivri plant, was fined Rs 2 crore. Meanwhile, the Cantonment Board, Lucknow, was slapped with a fine of Rs 50 lakh.

LMC’s environment engineer Pankaj Bhushan said, “It is true that in order to improve Lucknow’s ranking in the annual cleanliness survey, waste will have to be treated on a daily basis.”

However, an official of EcoGreen, who did not wish to be identified, complained about payments being held up by the LMC. “We are unable to pay salaries to our workers because our money is regularly held up by the municipal corporation,” he said.

Meanwhile, locals residing near the Shivri plant said that immediate treatment of solid waste was imperative, as their health was getting affected due to the widespread filth.