Four lakh metric tonne legacy waste in Sheeshambada to be disposed of in 11 months
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Dehradun mayor Saurabh Thapliyal announced that Rs 35 lakh will be issued to each councillor to carry out development projects in their respective wards in addition to Rs five lakh each for the installation of CCTV cameras. Thapliyal made this announcement during the first full-fledged board meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) he chaired here on Tuesday. Apart from this, the increasing number of street vendors, rampant encroachment, lack of sanitation workers and garbage collecting vehicles and increasing number of stray animals in Dehradun were among the main issues that were discussed in the meeting.
Thapliyal chaired the meeting along with the municipal commissioner Namami Bansal. The MLAs from Rajpur Road, Dharampur, Dehradun Cantonment, Sahaspur and Doiwala were also present in the meeting, along with councillors. The issue of the disposal of legacy waste at the Sheeshambada solid waste management and recycling plant was also raised in the meeting. Sahaspur MLA Sahdev Pundir also pointed out the urgency of the issue, to which the commissioner responded that about four lakh metric tonnes of waste is accumulated in the plant which will be disposed of within 11 months. She said that additional machinery has also been installed to expedite the process.
Councillors claimed that there is a significant rise in numbers of vendors from other states who occupy roadside areas, leading to traffic congestion and, in some cases, alleged criminal activities. They demanded that vendors must be required to display their names and related information on their carts for identification. The municipal commissioner stated that MCD is in the process of listing all such vendors and will take action against those lacking valid documentation.
Councillors also suggested marking encroached areas on the government lands and constructing boundary walls to prevent further occupation. However, the mayor stated that MCD lacks the budget for such a project but will send a proposal to the government for approval. Besides this, some councillors also demanded stricter penalties for those littering in public spaces, including dairy operators.
The mayor assured that MCD will reshuffle sanitation employees and supervisors to enhance efficiency. The number of sanitation workers in each ward will also be increased and the fleet of garbage collection vehicles, currently at 84, will be expanded to 100, Bansal said. Besides this, Chandrabani ward councillor Suman Butola also asked the corporation to remove Section 4 of the Forest Act, which prevents residents in her ward from obtaining ownership rights. She urged its removal to benefit approximately 6,000 families living there.
Pundir also supported the demand. Bansal said that she will present this point before the State administration. A political disagreement emerged when a Congress councillor alleged that her work proposals were delayed or ignored in MCD, possibly because she belongs to the opposition party. She said that she had to get her work done via another department. Many BJP councillors refuted the claim, arguing that all departments function under the BJP-led government and accused the opposition of unnecessarily politicising the discussion.
Some councillors also demanded a monthly allowance similar to that of MLAs. The mayor stated that no such provision currently exists but agreed to consider the matter. Councillors also demanded installation of CCTV cameras in wards stating increasing illegal activities. The mayor said that cameras will be placed where required. To improve administrative efficiency, the municipal commissioner said that MCD will adopt an E-office system to prevent files from being lost, a recurring complaint from councillors.
