UKHRUL, February 23: Call it an inevitability of growth or irresponsibility of the authority but the menace of rotting garbage is one of the direct consequences of faulty/unplanned urbanization of a town anywhere in the world.
Ukhrul is one such town which is becoming increasingly urbanized without so much as a plan for the same by the state government. With the fast rising number of concrete buildings, commercial establishments, volume of vehicular traffics, transport services et al on top of continued expansion of residencial/settlement areas each year, Ukhrul town has definitely undergone a dramatic change in varied aspects over the years.
And the immediate concern caused by these changes has been one of environmental pollution owing to mounting garbage from shops/offices in town areas and domestic waste at every locality.
The town of Ukhrul has always been plagued by trash-handling problems in the absence of any clear cut waste management policy or sanitation programme from the side of the government through lack of planning.
As such, the task of clearing up garbage in the town areas, it is learnt, has been left with the Autonomous District Council (ADC) Ukhrul as local governing body in lieu of Municipality.
Talking to Imphal Free Press in this regard, Leiyaphy Kasar, Executive Officer, ADC said that the council has been carrying out collection of garbage covering town areas from Hundung junction to Kharasom junction as part of sanitation initiative under its unit called Small Town Committee.
“At present we engage only 11 staff and two pick up trucks to do the job. There are 14 garbage sheds in between the two junction points and the rubbish from these sheds are collected at 6 am daily for disposal,” she said.
But since the volume of refuse is growing with each passing day, the task has become more demanding. Moreover, there are plans to cover the circular roads in residential areas as demands arise. “But with only a handful of staff and two trucks, we are not in a position to fulfill the needs,” Kasar lamented.
She also came down on the government for turning a blind eye to all the woes of the ADC though it is functioning under limited resource.
Asserting that the increased work load is putting a strain on them, she expressed desire that if the number of staff could be increased doubly along with that of vehicles, they can manage to meet the sanitation requirements in the town.
Even then, the department has managed to procure a dumping site measuring 950 sq. ft by 150 sq ft at Hunpung village on their own which could serve the purpose for a long time to come, she added.