Sanitation drive hit as garbage bins vanish

Rajendranagar: In the absence of proper reinforcement of deterrence laws by the GHMC, the public money being spent on sanitation drive through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme is going waste. What is more concerning is that the incident discourages those coming forward to lend their helping hand for the community services.

Though there are many cases, the latest example is disappearance of dust bins that were placed at various locations at Rajendranagar area to help people dispose of the trash in the bins rather than throw it on the roads.

Within a few days of their installation, the dust bins vanished, leaving empty iron frames behind the scene. The iron frames are intact simply because they are stuck deep into the cement payment and cannot be uprooted easily.

"It is quite unfortunate that even the dust bins are being stolen which are mainly used by the people and are kept at strategic places to avoid littering of roads and thoroughfares. The law of deterrence should be enforced to protect the public property from stealing.

There are surveillance cameras if not on the roads then in the nearby shops to detect the swindlers and book them under relevant laws to prevent this kind of incidence from reoccurrence," said Mohammed Zaheeruddin a social activist at Hassan Nagar.

"If this kind of incidence doesn't stop or preventive measures are not put in place, then no one will come forward to lend a helping hand under CSR programme in the future. If the incidents go unnoticed or if they are taken as granted then this will only help thieves to keep on with their work," he argued.

To prevent this kind of incidence in future, the civil body must take help of the police to trace out the swindlers besides enforcing stringent law of deterrence. If it is not possible, taking the help of NGOs can be considered and volunteers arranged at designated areas to deter such acts. This could send a loud and clear message to thieves and pilferers.

Affirming the incidents, Padma, the AMHO of Rajendranagar circle, said: "The incidents are become common these days. We can't point towards anybody right at this juncture but have warned some local dwellers against resorting to such swindling. All this swindling is carried out at night when there is no one to keep an eye."

"Earlier when we saw that the lids of the bins were being stolen, we promptly arranged some replacements. It almost takes almost 2 to 3 days to complete the whole work. However, for the last few days we have been witnessing that some people are resorting to steal the entire dust bins leaving behind the iron frames intact with the pavement," she informed.