The Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Solid Waste Management Department issued a circular to officials to form a ‘Regional Enforcement Team’ to monitor the illegal dumping of garbage and debris in waterbodies within its limits.
The circular issued to regional offices – north, central and south – on December 20 mentioned that the team will be headed by Zonal Assistant Executive Engineers and will comprise solid waste management and conservancy supervisors, conservancy inspectors, sanitary inspectors, tax collectors and workers. The group will monitor illegal dumping of garbage and debris and impose fines in the Cooum and Adyar and the other canals maintained by the GCC.
The GCC oversees a network of 33 canals within the city, spanning a total length of 53,421 m. Chief Engineer (SWM) N. Mahesan said the works were being done along with the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Water Resources Department (WRD), with the assistance of the private agencies, to whom solid waste management has been outsourced.
According to the civic body, ‘amphibian’ equipment and robotic multipurpose excavators have been deployed by the Corporation for desilting work, resulting in the removal of approximately 1,231 tonnes of water hyacinth and 1,897 tonnes of construction, and demolition (C&D) of waste in the past six months.
Further, the People’s Movement for Clean Cities conducted regular cleaning activities on Saturdays each month from June 3, 2021, covering 1,61,632 m of waterbodies to date. A digital monitoring system, facilitated by 97 CCTV surveillance cameras, ensuring the protection of 97 main vulnerable locations near the canals has been installed, the GCC said in a statement.
To curb dumping, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Department of the GCC wielded fines authorised by the SWM 2016 by-laws and filed complaints with the police regarding the same across all 15 zones.
Published - December 29, 2023 01:32 am IST
