Tirunelveli Corporation has installed solar power panels on its buildings at a cost of ₹1.87 crore, the civic body chief, G. Kannan, said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Kannan said the Corporation, by installing the solar power panels, would generate ‘green power’ to meet its demands and sell the surplus to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco).
While the solar panels would largely meet the Corporation’s demand by generating electricity during shiny days, the surplus power sold to Tangedco would ensure additional revenue.
And the revenue would help meet the demand of the Corporation during monsoon.
The urban civic body, having 1,54,808 houses, was generating 170 tonnes of garbage a day, including 107 tonnes of degradable waste and 63 tonnes of non-degradable garbage being collected separately, thanks to source segregation at primary level by sanitary workers in 270 battery-operated vehicles.
At the secondary level, garbage being dumped in 485 bins were being collected and taken to Ramaiyanpatti garbage yard in 21 vehicles everyday.
Since 2.02 lakh cubic meter garbage dumped in the yard had been compacted in just 4.50 acres and closed scientifically, wherein grass was grown over the waste compacted and closed with polythene sheets, the degradable waste now being collected in the city was being converted into manure in 40 micro compost centres established in various parts of the city.
“We’ve so far given 2.75 lakh tonnes of manure to 142 farmers and to over 1,000 home gardens free of cost. Now, we have have decided to collect ₹2 per kg manure as the amount would be given to the workers as incentive. The more they produce the more they would get. So, in order to encourage the workers to produce more manure, we are planning to collect the small amount from buyers,” Mr. Kannan said.
On the ban on use-and-throw plastic waste, the Commissioner said civic personnel, through surprise checks in 14,500 business establishments, seized 4,890 kg of plastic products and slapped a fine of ₹16.55 lakh for violation.
The anti-dengue operations initiated by the Corporation had drastically curtailed the prevalence of the vector-borne disease in the city despite active monsoon. As raids were conducted on every Thursday in houses, hospitals, hotels, hostels, schools, colleges and other places, those who were responsible for providing mosquito breeding grounds were fined to the tune of ₹8.83 lakh.
Moreover, dumping of garbage in public places and smoking in public places too attracted fines to the tune of ₹57,100.
Every household within the jurisdiction of Tirunelveli Corporation would get underground drainage connection by 2022 as the second and third phases of the project were being implemented under AMRUT Scheme (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) on an outlay of ₹490 crore. The project would be completed within next three years.
“Once the scheme is completed, the Tamirabharani, lifeline of southern districts, will not get polluted even as it crosses Tirunelveli city,” Mr. Kannan said.
Work on a truck terminal being established under the Smart City programme on an outlay of ₹14.67 crore had almost been completed and, hence, the facility would become operational soon.
The Commissioner said the underground drainage scheme, which benefited 25,000 houses after completion of the first phase, would be taken to the remaining houses in the second and the third phase of the project, which would be completed in 2022.
Chief Executive Officer of Tirunelveli Smart City Special Purpose Vehicle V. Narayanan Nair and City Health Officer Sathish Kumar were present.
Published - January 06, 2020 09:47 pm IST
