Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Nov 14: The government is implementing the 'Amrith Nirmal Nagara' scheme on the occasion of the 75th year of Indian independence under which 75 urban local bodies in the state will be given funds to turn their areas cleaner and more beautiful.
Seven urban local bodies in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts have been chosen under the scheme. They are Byndoor, Beltangady town panchayat, Kundapur, Karkala, Bantwal, Moodbidri and Puttur city municipality. Each of these bodies will get a grant of Rs 1 crore each.
File Photo
This fund can be used to make the towns or cities cleaner or to beautify them. It can also be utilised to buy machinery for processing wet and dry waste, construction of compound walls or fences, lay connecting roads, build toilets, buy sucking machinery, tanker, providing uniforms to civic workers, processing of effluents, information activities, developing greenery in the towns, etc.
The bodies have been given one year to complete these projects. The local bodies have to draw up action plans and get approval from a committee headed by the district deputy commissioners. The committee will be monitored by the minister. In addition to the deputy commissioner, it will have project director of the urban development cell and executive engineer, commissioners of the local adminsitrative bodies, municipal commissioners, chief officers, and the environment engineer.
Out of the 75 civic bodies for which the grant was released, Kundapur town municipality is ahead as far as progress achieved in waste processing is concerned. In the twin districts, Kundapur municipality with 96 percent achievement is at the top, followed by Karkala municipality (93.9 percent), being the newly formed town panchayat Byndoor is at 0 percent, Bantwal has achieved 57.14 percent, Beltangady 66.67 percent, Moodbidri 66.67percent, Puttur 57.14 percent progress. Kolar municipality is at the last of the list with 2.48 percent progress.
The local municipality has played a stellar role in getting to the top of the list as waste is converted into manure here. This system ensures that the garbage heap does not grow year after year, and the waste is regularly disposed off. Machines sort out the waste which are then sold, turned into compost manure or earthworm manure. The effluent with nutrients for growth of vegetation is also plroduced,.
Udupi district deputy commissioner, M Kurma Rao, informed that the Amirth Nirmal Nagara scheme meeting that was to be held with the coming together of the 75 local bodies and officials on November 11 had to be postponed because of the election-related code of conduct in force. He said that the process will be resumed after the election and that suitable guidance is expected to be received then.