Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 15
With the aim to propel Kohima towards becoming a cleaner and safer city, garbage transportation vehicles for the state capital were launched here today by Urban Development Advisor, SI Jamir.
The project is a State Investment Programme Management and Implementation Unit (SIPMIU) –Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted programme for Kohima Municipal Council (KMC).
Jamir said the launching of the garbage transportation vehicles which comprises of two types- Refuse Compactor Vehicle for collection of wastes along the roads and the Primary Collection Vehicle for collection of wet and dry wastes separately from the wards, will facilitate collection of waste from the city.
He appealed to the citizens to cooperate with KMC in segregating the wastes into wet and dry waste at the sources to fully optimize the use of Solid Waste Management Facility at Lerie.
“This effort from our end will not only solve our city’s waste management problems but will also enable the city to be clean, safe and environmentally sustainable,” Jamir said.
Jamir said that the state government with support from the centre and the ADB has already set up a scientific solid waste management facility at Lerie which was commissioned on February 11 last year for processing and stabilizing biodegradable wastes into valuable compost manure and disposal of non-degradable waste into the sanitary landfill area.
Further, to process the non-degradable wastes such as polythene, plastic bottles, cans etc. into marketable commodities, Jamir said a Dry Waste Segregation & Re-use Unit is also being set up, which is expected to be commissioned by December 2017.
“With this addition, Kohima will have a fully integrated solid waste management facility,” he said.
SIPMIU Additional Programme Director, Er Limanaro meanwhile informed that the KMC and SIPMIU formulated the project for supply of Garbage Transportation Vehicles and supply, and installation of Dry Waste Segregation and Re-use Unit for Kohima, to be funded under Tranche-2 of the ADB funded NERCCDIP/NERUDP, Government of India.
The sanctioned amount for the project is Rs 11.67 crore, which includes transportation vehicles for the waste collection system and recycling facility for plastic wastes.
She said the waste collection system shall be undertaken by 5 Compactor Vehicles, 29 Primary Collection Vehicles, 42 1.1 Cum Bins, 52,000 Household Bins, 236 Shoulder Bins, 200 pairs of Pole Mounted Bins and 432 sets of Personal Protection Equipment.
KMC Administrator, Kethosituo Sekhose said that an MoU will be entered between the KMC and the wards before release of the new vehicles to the wards. A certain percentage of the sanitation fee will be deposited every month with KMC, which will be kept in escrow account, out of which 70% of the funds will be strictly used for purchase of new vehicles and the remaining 30% for maintenance of the landfill at Lerie.
The vehicles which will only be used for waste collection purpose and will be registered in the name of the Administrator, KMC, he added. He further informed that regular half yearly audit of all the Ward Sanitation Committees shall be carried out by the wards, along with a representative from KMC.
He added that all wards will be required to provide its annual income and expenditure statement to KMC by May 31 for the preceding year. Sekhose also apprised of the safety/ precautionary measures to be taken by the respective sanitation wards, besides undertaking repairs or replacement of parts to be undertaken for the vehicles under their custody.
The wards, Sekhose added, will not be authorized to sublet/sell the vehicle without the prior approval of KMC, and that alteration/modification of the vehicle will not be done without the approval of KMC. Only those wards, which can assure the implementation of segregation waste at source/household level will be allotted the new vehicles on deposit of the earlier vehicles, which were allotted in 2011 or 2014, he added.
North Block Panchayat Chairman and KCCI President Jabou Sekhose meanwhile called on the need to urgently resolve serious issues in the capital, including water scarcity, traffic and law and order situation, through Public Private Partnership and improvement and up-gradation of technologies.
