VMC targets to achieve garbage free city

VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) with the aim to achieve a garbage-free city, has decided to strictly implement a door-to-door collection of waste from households and commercial establishments.

The civic body is deliberately trying to reduce indiscriminate dumping of waste on the roadside and in vacant plots. Out of the 59 divisions, the door-to-door collection of waste is being carried out in 37 divisions while the sanitation staff is collecting garbage in the remaining 22 divisions.

M Rama Rao, former municipal commissioner, earlier had targeted a deadline of June 30 but V Prasanna Venkatesh replaced him on June 24. A large number of residents registered complaints while Rao was commissioner that sanitary workers were not coming to their houses for garbage collection and with no option, left solid waste is being dumped on the roadside and in vacant plots. 

The municipal commissioner, taking note of its seriousness conducted a series of meetings with the public health department officials and trained them to come up with an inclusive action plan to increase the number of divisions for strengthening the door-to-door collection of waste from households.

Currently the city, with a population of close to 14 lakh is fortified with 2,900 CMYE and 677 public health workers to carry out sanitation operations in an extent of 61.88 square kilometers.