Mangalore, December 20: Mangalore City Corporation seems to still have tough time combating plastic menace. Municipal Commissioner Dr Harish Kumar who has brought in ban on plastic says that talking about alternatives to plastic is rather futile because there is no alternative.
Addressing the mediapersons on Thursday during 'Meet the Press', an interactive session organized at Press Club, Mangalore, the Commissioner said that though polypropylene bags are being used instead of plastic in the city, the fact remains that even this material is a form of plastic.
“There is no alternative for plastic and I believe there will be none for the next two centuries. But, however not imposing ban on plastic simply because there is no alternative is not a right attitude,” he said adding that he hopes the polypropylene bags will not become a major part of litter in the city because these bags are being charged highly by the vendors.
The Commissioner however said that in the days to come, efforts will be made by the MCC to recycle plastic. A plant to extract oil and fat from meat is also likely to come up in the future, he informed.
On the effectiveness of the plastic ban, Mr. Kumar said that at present there are five teams which are looking into plastic ban violations in the city. “As long as they carry out their work efficiently, the ban will be effective”, he said. However, Mr. Kumar said that the issue of plastic ban has been challenged and is presently before the court. “Two to three hearings have already been held. The court has not granted any stay so we will continue carrying out our operations. However, we will abide by the court's verdict”, he said.
In response to a question as to why plastic manufacturing units cannot be banned in the first place to stop plastic production, Mr. Kumar said that the ban on plastic has been imposed only in Mangalore taluk and hence plastic manufacturers still have the option of selling their products to other parts of the district and the state where the ban is not in force.
Door to door waste collection
Mr. Kumar said that the MCC is collecting Solid Waste Management Cess of Rs 30 per month towards door to door garbage collection. Some people are objecting to paying the charges at present on the grounds that they have bins to dispose waste off but the MCC is trying to convince them about the advantages of door to door garbage collection.
“We plan to impose a penalty of Rs 100 on those who refuse to co-operate with the MCC and in case of continuous non-cooperation, the MCC will not collect garbage from the said individuals' house,” he said.
At present, the Rs 30 charge is to be given to the contractors who come to collect garbage at houses. From the next financial year i.e. from April 2013 onwards, the cess would be collected by MCC along with property tax, Mr. Kumar said.
New Roads
The Commissioner said that a new concrete road near Kudroli temple at an approximate cost of Rs. 11.5 crore and another road between Mangaladevi and Pandeshwar are being laid. The roads will not have a divider in between and the street lights will be placed on either sides of the road. Cycling tracks and track for pedestrians will also feature in these roads, Mr. Kumar said.
Answering a query on inaction against multi-storey buildings and complexes which have accommodated shops in the basement, without providing parking space, Mr. Kumar said that most builders have taken the matter to court. “Verdicts are pending in the court of law and there is not a single case where the court has cleared a verdict in terms of illegal buildings and non-provision of parking spaces. Hence the Corporation has not taken action,” he said.
On the Thumbay Dam, Mr. Kumar said that by November 2013, the civil work of the new dam is expected to complete which would be followed by mechanical work and the dam is expected to become operational by December 2013. The new dam although measuring 12 metres, would hold only 7 metres of water and the city could avail water for 90 days during the absence of river inflow as against the current 45 day period, he said.
Comments
Add new comment