GHMC to provide biodegradable bags

Khairatabad: In a first, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be providing biodegradable bags to a few mosques as a pilot project to dispose of animal waste in an environment-friendly way.

Speaking to the The Hans India, Musharraf Farooqui, Zonal Commissioner, Khairatabad, said, "We are undertaking this project in First Lancer division in Mehdipatnam in Khairatabad zone this Bakrid festival. We hope to see a major difference and also spread awareness."

The bags would be distributed free of cost and based on the response we would extend the project to other areas in the city," he added. Vehicles have been arranged to lift animal waste from the garbage and we have hired an agency to recycle the animal waste. They will come and collect the animal waste and it would be used in food processing industries also, instead of letting the waste rot and litter on the roads, he said.

GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore at a general body meeting on Thursday said that they conducted a review meeting two days back about the arrangements made for the Bakrid festival in city.

Explaining the arrangements made for the festival, ViswajitKampati, Director of Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management, GHMC, said "Around Rs 2.43 crore is sanctioned for the lifting of garbage across the city and for other arrangements before and after the Bakrid festival. All sorts of vehicles like tippers, mini-tippers, bob cots which can carry the garbage across the city will be pressed into service from Friday to clean the city before Bakrid festival." LLDP covers already purchased and are dispersed to all the zonal level officials, he added.

Officials said that temporary lighting arrangements are made for the festival across the city and works of filling up the potholes and road repairing works are sanctioned and they are taking up road repairs on a war-footing so they can be completed before the Bakrid festival.