JOIN USThe Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to deploy additional trucks and personnel for garbage clearance during the next three days as huge quantity of garbage is likely to be generated during Deepavali.
The decision was taken at a meeting on garbage clearance chaired by BBMP Commissioner Rajneesh Goel here on Saturday.
A senior official told Deccan Herald, “We expect at least 15 per cent to 20 per cent increase in garbage during Deepavali. Given the present situation, we cannot afford to leave the garbage unattended on the streets till the festival is over. So, all zonal authorities have been directed to use additional trucks and pourakarmikas as per the scheduled rates.”
While additional trucks might be deployed without much problem, getting pourakarmikas to work during the festival would be difficult. Going by the past experience, only about 25 per cent of the pourakarmikas report to work during Deepavali, a trend likely to repeat even this season, the official said.
There are around 19,000 pourakarmikas, including the contract employees. While the 4,000-odd regular employees are entitled for holiday during Deepavali, most of the contract workers also do not turn up for work, despite knowing that they would lose their salaries, the official pointed out.
The regular employees get 12 State holidays a year, including those during Deepavali, while the others are expected to work 365 days a year.
Garbage bins
At the meeting, the Palike decided to place garbage bins at certain places where garbage is getting collected in huge quantity, particularly after garbage segregation was made mandatory. This will be a permanent feature and has nothing to do with Deepavali, the official said.
Stating that placing bins would enable better garbage management at these spots, the official said that it has been decided to appoint an agency to spray effective micro-organism (EM) solution on these bins, to hasten decomposition of garbage.
“The problem of odour will be dealt with effectively by spraying this solution,” the official said.
These bins will be around six to eight feet high, while their circumference will be decided on the basis of availability of space where it would be placed.
It would cost anywhere between Rs 18,000 and Rs 25,000 a bin.
The commissioner has asked the officials to identify at least 50 spots for placing these bins, the official said.