Pourakarmikas went Voting, While Your Garbage Stood Waiting? Waste Collection Resumes Today
Mangaluru: Nearly 200 plus workers belonging to Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt Ltd took a day off on Tuesday, 23 April 2019 in order to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections. Since half of the workforce that is employed with this waste handling company hail from Northern part of Karnataka like Bagalkot, Raichur, Vijayapura, and nearby places, and they all traveled to their native hometowns to make use of their voting privileges. And the company couldn’t stop them from visiting their native places since they have the right to vote, and its a law. And in case you were wondering why the garbage left outside your residence was not collected on Tuesday, now you know why? The same situation also took place last year when the Pourakarmikas took a day off to vote the Karnataka General Assembly elections.
So while these workers took a day off to exercise their franchise- guess, what was the outcome the next day! On Wednesday morning, a huge pile of garbage was seen at various places in the City. Imagine what would happen, if Pourakarmikas take two days or go on a strike for few days- the City will be a just another dump yard like Pachchanady dumping yard – where the city’s garbage is dumped. But the management of the waste handling company had taken all preventive care to see that not much garbage is left for Wednesday morning, by making the employees do a double shift on Tuesday according to Prakash Kurup, the Senior Manager at the Waste handling company.
Also speaking to Team Mangalorean Prakash Kurup said, “Even though a bunch of these Pourakarmikas left to their hometowns to cast their votes, but it hasn’t caused any problems in the waste collection. We requested the remaining workers on Tuesday to double shifts, for which they agreed, so the burden of huge garbage left for Wednesday was prevented”. The legal adviser for the waste handling company Vivekananda Paniyal speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “Even though the workers at the last minute decided to go to their native places to exercise their franchise, the management and supervisors couldn’t deny them leave, instead granted them a day off to enjoy their voting privileges. Everything is taken care by the management to clear off the leftover garbage by Wednesday”.
While many citizens may show their anger at the Pourakarmikas for the heap of garbage at various places in the City- but why blame the Pourakarmikas for all this garbage, instead of blaming the citizens for creating it. On the first place, why is garbage still seen on the city roads? Aren’t the garbage hauling company workers suppose to pick it up from the homes or businesses. Why is MCC not taking action against people dumping garbage on the roadside? I am surprised, the way the garbage is seen daily (mornings) on the City, it’s hard to believe how Mangaluru was judged one of the cleanest city in the Nation. Next time these judging officials come to Mangaluru to check on the cleanliness of Mangaluru, I will show them the places where actually the pile of trashes are.
Despite the hype around the cleanliness drive after Prime Minister’s clarion call for Swaccha Bharath Abhiyan, filth is still visible on many of our roads. With the dumping of garbage on every nook and corner of the city, many a time people using the roads are put to inconvenience by the stench that emanates from the garbage dumped indiscriminately. In spite of awareness on why the use of plastic should be avoided, people continue to use plastics. It forms a major chunk of the garbage dumped along the roads. Even though Good Samaritans associated with Ramakrishna Mission, and also other NGO’s and social organizations have been doing a massive clean up work, but unfortunately people are still ignorant in littering waste all around.
In conclusion, Yes, we agree that the disposal of garbage continues to be a challenge faced by the civic authorities. Officials say that they alone can not keep the city clean. A change in attitude among people towards the issue of cleanliness is need of the hour. In spite of many awareness programmes on ‘Swachh Bharath’ people have the habit of dumping garbage on the streets and pavements. Adding to this, construction debris is also dumped. Also looking at the outgrown grass and other vegetation beside these city outskirts roads, it seems like Swachh Bharath Abhiyan is not making up to the mark. At a few places, people have recklessly thrown garbage into the drain along the roads. As a result, the drain is clogged and garbage is strewn around.
So what kind of solutions can MCC come up with to prevent garbage being dumped on the roadsides? Severe fines imposed on those littering garbage is one solution- but who is going to keep an eye on these litterers. With this kind of attitude and ignorance by Citizens of Mangaluru, it would be a long way before Mangaluru becomes CLEAN and GREEN?
