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No takers for vermicompost unit
Vermi-compost plant, which was set up at 11th division of Electricity Colony in the city, for producing organic manure as part of waste management is not producing desired results as per the expectation of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation due to non-cooperation of local residents and lack of support from the people’s representatives.
Vijayawada: Vermi-compost plant, which was set up at 11th division of Electricity Colony in the city, for producing organic manure as part of waste management is not producing desired results as per the expectation of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation due to non-cooperation of local residents and lack of support from the people’s representatives.
The corporation allocated nearly 200 square yards site for setting up of the Vermi compost unit in 2005 at Electricity Colony to produce the organic manure with the collection of garbage from local residents. Even after 12 years, the Vermi compost unit is not reaching its expectations.
However, it is producing only one tonne of organic manure every year. Local traders are purchasing the compost on payment of Rs 10 per kg. The plant can produce two tonnes every year.
The corporation employed only one sanitation woman worker to work in the unit. The plant can produce two tonnes of manure every year if more staff is allocated, more garbage is collected and more tri-cycles are provided by the corporation.
The Vermi compost was gradually developed in 12 years with the initiative taken by Colony Welfare Association and the VMC.
Former Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar had insisted for setting up of waste management plant in the newly developing Electricity Colony to cultivate habit of door-to-door garbage collection. Even after more than 10 years, the colony residents have not cultivated the habit of segregating the garbage into wet garbage and dry garbage, said P Madhusudana Rao, secretary of the Electricity Colony Owners’ Welfare Association.
He said the colony association was maintaining the Vermi compost plant for 12 years and it was producing one tonne of organic manure every year.
He said the plant has the capacity to double the production if more amenities were provided like supplying more tricycles. He said that the association was urging the corporation to provide one more tricycle with garbage segregation facility but there was no response from the corporation.
Madhusudan Rao said that the association was collecting vegetable waste at the local Rythu Bazar and other places to produce manure. The association was giving wide publicity to create awareness among the colony residents for segregation of dry and wet garbage, but they were not showing interest.
The plant could be developed with the help of local residents and support of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, he added. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation in-charge Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Ch Babu Srinivasan said the VMC has proposal of supplying 600 more newly designed tricycles in the city to collect wet and dry garbage separately.
The CMHO said that there was no such proposal to distribute tricycles free of cost. Meanwhile, there were reports that elected representatives are also not showing interest to develop the Vermi compost unit for the last 10 years.
By MD Ameen
