Thrash talk: Garbage management is top priority for new municipal commissioner

Updated on: 12 February,2014 06:46 AM IST |
By A Correspondent |

The PMC garbage depot situated at Urali Devachi remained chock-full for the second consecutive day, as the agitation called by villagers continued. While waste dumps in the city are flooded with refuse, attempts of PMC top officials to negotiate with the agitators have failed. So, shortly after taking over as civic commissioner, Vikas Deshmukh had to step in to try and resolve the situation

What a waste! A garbage depot near Bajirao Road. Pic/Mohan Patil

In his first media meet yesterday afternoon, he acknowledged that garbage management has become a critical issue in the city and this will be his top priority.

What a waste! A garbage depot near Bajirao Road. Pic/Mohan Patil

“In the morning, PMC officials held a long meeting with villagers at Hadapsar, for which MLA Mahadeo Babar was also present. They tried to negotiate and convince the protestors to allow functioning of PMC’s waste processing plants. But things have not worked out,” Deshmukh said.

Stepping up
When asked what arrangements the civic body was making in the face of brimful garbage containers in the city, he said, “I have called a meeting on the same issue in the evening too. Things take time. Meanwhile, we are arranging hauling of wet garbage to farmers, who want it to use it as manure.”

Specifying the need of decentralising garbage depots, he opined, “Government has already earmarked five locations where we can start waste processing plants. Rather than dumping all the refuse at one site, we should build such small yards in all parts of the city.”