New garbage disposal system in Imphal

IMPHAL, Apr 9  – In a move to improve the overall sanitary condition in the core area of Imphal city, the Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) will press into service five trucks to collect garbage from Paona and Thangal Bazaar areas from tomorrow.

“We will use five mini trucks equipped with bells to collect the garbage in and around Paona and Thangal Bazaars to make Imphal a clean and disease-free city,” said N Gitkumar, Director, Manipur Housing and Urban Development (MAHUD) today. “These trucks will run in a phase-wise manner daily.”

The initiative has been taken as a part of the Zero Garbage Campaign under the theme, ‘My city is getting ready! Sign up – Zero Garbage Campaign,’ which was formally launched by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh back in August 12, 2010.

The campaign aims to strive for complete one-time removal of all the garbage from Imphal city besides spreading awareness about the proper disposal of solid waste. Even though door-to-door collection of municipal solid waste has been privatised, it could not ensure enough participation from the residents of the city and the uncontrolled disposal at undesignated spots has continued, according to Gitkumar who is also the Chief Town Planner of the State.

Besides Paona and Thangal Bazaar residents, commercial and industrial establishments, the floating population comprising vegetable and fish vendors also contribute to the generation of solid waste which poses a serious health hazard to the masses. The IMC has managed to remove only about 50 per cent of the total 100 tonnes of solid waste generated in Imphal city daily. With the gap rising each passing year, immediate remedial measures have been felt necessary to save the capital city from further deterioration.

The city police will also assist the movement. In the last few days, the city police team rounded up as many as 77 individuals, mostly women vendors, who littered garbage in various locations of the city and fined them. The city traffic police have also assured to assist the initiative of the IMC.