The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Garbage clearance privatisation kicks up dust

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Garbage clearance privatisation kicks up dust

Staff Reporter

Police prevent agitators from entering the main block of the Chennai Corporation building

— Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Agitation: Members of the CPI (M), CITU and Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union raise slogans on Tuesday against privatisation of garbage clearance in four zones in the city.

Chennai: About 800 people gathered at the Ripon Building, Chennai Corporation headquarters, on Tuesday to protest the privatisation of garbage clearance in four zones in the city.

Agitators pressed against the gates of the main block but police prevented them from entering.

A representative team led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA S. K. Mahendran, Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union general secretary S. Purushothaman, councillor Armstrong (Bahujan Samaj Party) and CITU members met Mayor M. Subramanian with a set of demands.

The demands included withdrawal of privatisation of solid waste management, reverting to the single shift system for garbage clearance for Corporation employees and providing permanent jobs for temporary workers.

After talks with union leaders, Mayor M. Subramanian said the contract for privatised garbage clearance was awarded only after it was approved by the Corporation Council and the State Government.

He said the morning and evening garbage clearance system was introduced to handle the increase in waste generation. If sanitary workers had specific problems such as difficulties in commuting to and from work spots during the evening shifts, they would be transferred to a zone closer home after a counselling process. Employees’ unions could submit a list of workers who faced such problems, the Mayor said.

Garbage cleared

On Monday, 15 loads of garbage were removed from the Adyar Zone by the Corporation, following complaints from the public that private contractor Onyx was not clearing garbage in the area.

Mayor’s survey

The Mayor surveyed garbage collection in Kalakshetra Colony on Monday, a press release said.

Two loads of garbage that were not removed by Onyx were removed by Chennai Corporation from Kalakshetra Colony.

Similarly, six loads were cleared from Besant Nagar, four from Velachery, one from Kasturba Nagar and one from R.A. Puram.

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