Srinagar to go garbage, dumpster free: SMC

Srinagar, Apr 17: In a step towards making Srinagar city garbage and dumpster free, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has added 150 new C&T vehicles and starts its path-breaking GIS based and real time GPS monitored 100% door to door Segregated Waste Collection system and initiated removal of dumpsters from the city.

Commissioner SMC, Athar Aamir Khan has issued a revised area and ward wise deployment schedule of Garbage Collection Vehicles across the city to ensure 100% collection of segregated dry and wet waste. SMC has also initiated the process of removing dumpsters and bins from the city in a bid to create a garbage free & dumpster free city.

SMC has added more than 150 vehicles to its existing fleet including 100 new light motor vehicles for door to door primary collection and around 50 new heavy motor vehicles including modern compactors for secondary transportation.

This is the first such massive upgradation in Srinagar city’s Solid Waste Management Infrastructure. All vehicles have been enabled with GPS devices for real time monitoring. The GIS mapping and geo-fencing of all areas and wards up to lane level has been done to ensure efficient and timely waste collection. The areas and households to be serviced by each vehicle have been mapped.

The Integrated Solid Waste Management IT System under Smart City project will enable comprehensive monitoring. It has been enabled with features including live location tracking, route & time deviation alerts, grievance redressal and quality assurance tools.

The garbage collection vehicles will reach each and every household and every commercial establishment including shops in Srinagar City. People will have to necessarily hand over the segregated waste to SMC garbage collection vehicles.

SMC is closing down all the garbage vulnerable points as well as the sites where dumpsters used to be located. It has been prohibited to deposit waste at such points now onwards. General public as well as commercial establishments shall handover the waste to SMC’s vehicles only and shall refrain from putting them at any other place.

The notification issued by Commissioner SMC, Athar Aamir Khan also informs the general public that in case Garbage Collection vehicle doesn’t come to their house or establishment or is not on time, the local ward level officers shall be contacted or SMC’s control room shall be informed. The contact details of concerned ward level officials and details of vehicles deployed in each area have been shared in the public notification.

The success of the initiative is heavily dependent on the participation and cooperation of the general public. Segregated waste collection will help SMC better manage the waste at the Achan site.

SMC is also working on the project for removal of legacy waste and biomining and bioremediation of existing waste at its Achan Landfill site. The legal waste removal plan has been prepared in consultation with IIT Jammu and NIT Srinagar and has been projected for funding under SBM 2.0