Garbage heaps damage Kurnool's smart city bid

Kurnool: Kurnool city, which is aspiring to become a Smart City, is woefully inadequate in terms of clearing garbage. With rains now causing wet conditions, the stench emanating from the overflowing dustbins on the road side is awful. People find it difficult to pass by these mounds of garbage as Municipal authorities do not lift the garbage regularly.

There are 51 wards in Kurnool Municipal Corporation limits and the city generates about 190 metric tonnes of garbage daily. The municipality staff don’t bother about lifting garbage from all wards; their focus is only on some of the main centres. With the delay in lifting of silt and garbage dumped on the roads, the effort of Kurnool municipality to de-silt drains to ensure free flow of rain and waste water as part of monsoon preparations will literally go down the drain.

After a huge hue and cry over overflowing drain water onto the roads, the civic staff, instead of going ahead systematically, took up the work in a haphazard manner. While the upstream area has been cleaned at some places, the lower end continues to be choked. The drains are being cleaned in bits and pieces which are bound to reflect on the flow of rain and waste water.

To add to the woes, delay in lifting of garbage has led to the waste remaining littered all over the roads. Besides, there is possibility of silt and garbage flowing back into the drains with the water. Since the drains are not cleaned entirely, the water flow is likely to be checked and spill over to the roads again rendering the efforts of the urban futile. KMC commissioner Harindranath Reddy said they have taken special initiatives to clean the city. He said that they have received complaints from people through phone, letters and emails and the KMC staff has responded immediately.

“Disposal of garbage is a serious problem for us. Pigs, crows and other birds carry the garbage and spread it near hospitals. This increases the chances of spread of diseases,” K. Yallanagulu, Kallur Yuvajana Sangam secretary, said. “We need to cover our noses inside the B camp government welfare hostel. Due to the stench, the students cannot even have food as it causes nausea,” said J. Lakshmi Narsimha, SC, ST, BC Student Federation leader.