SHIMLA: A report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to the Himachal Pradesh assembly on Tuesday, August 17, pointed out the lack of waste management by urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state. The report said that the ULBs were unsuccessful in keeping the cities’ urban areas clean by disposing of the waste scientifically.
CAG highlighted that the performance grant of Rs 32.44 crore between 2016-2020 had not been released by the Government of India. Furthermore, it said that the audits conducted by the ULBs did not observe the discrepancies in various stages of the solid waste management process.
According to the report, the door-to-door waste collection model adopted by the ULBs was not followed properly as the 16 centres checked by the organisation had overflowing open dumps of waste. Unfortunately, the waste collected in the state was neither segregated at the time of selection nor was there any facility to segregate it at the centers. The report added that there was a lack of proper transportation method for waste collection in the city.
CAG noted that the waste processing facility was constructed at only 12 ULBs. However, none of them was fully functional. The state has 54 ULBs out of which none have the option of scientific disposal of sanitary pads. Currently, mixed waste, ie, biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, was being dumped at open dumpsites.