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Amritsar residents seek garbage-free city on 70th Independence Day
Residents of the holy city are upset over the garbage woes following which, people of a few colonies have pledged and joined hands with an NGO ‘Eco Amritsar’ to come up with ‘Zero Garbage Colonies’ on the 70th Independence Day.
Residents of the holy city are upset over the garbage woes following which, people of a few colonies have pledged and joined hands with an NGO ‘Eco Amritsar’ to come up with ‘Zero Garbage Colonies’ on the 70th Independence Day.
Although, the ambitious and awaited solid waste management project is to be inaugurated by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on August 14, residents have resolved to make their own contribution to the cause.
The ‘Zero Garbage Colonies’ project has started at Paradise Greens and Palm Grove colonies on the airport road which is also being backed municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Sonali Giri as she provided dustbins to the volunteers.
In the next phase, the NGO plans to assign a team of ragpickers to collect the solid waste and organic waste from the houses.
Speaking to HT about the mission, Gunbir Singh, chairman of the NGO, said, “The residents of the colonies have provided us a space of about 50-square-yard in which we will dig six pits and the garbage collected from the houses would be processed and composted in the pits within the colonies. This organic waste will supply manure for the green belt in the colonies.”
He added, “We would also be applying the vermicomposting method in which when the pits are fully filled, a proper mud layering would be done with banana leaves so that the moisture can be retained for the earthworms to work on the garbage. This will prevent foul smell emanating in the area.
The volunteer residents told HT that they decided to initiate such a project as they were not sure of the effective implementation of the upcoming solid waste management project. Mona Mehra, coordinator of the project, said, “People of this holy city have suffered a lot due to the unresolved garbage problem. Garbage heaps are lying all over the city portraying a shameful sight.
Hence we decided to own up our responsibilities and stop depending on the authorities. I am sure this model will be adopted by other-colony residents also.”
Explaining the working of the group, Mehra said, “I will be coordinating with other area representatives. It will be a well-delegated process where the funds would be collected from every house to pay to the garbage collectors. The NGO provides us with the know-how and other basic facilities required.”
