FCC

Kolkata struggles over waste segregation

2023-12-08

A year after waste segregation was introduced across Kolkata, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) solid waste management department continues to struggle with effective implementation in several localities. The practice of segregation has become virtually non-existent in some areas. While there are many households that are yet to start segregating waste, others have stopped doing so after an initial effort.

There are also complaints from households about a lack of segregated waste collection protocol with dry waste either not being collected by a section of conservancy staff or being emptied into the general daily waste by the waste collectors.

Mayor Firhad Hakim has decided to conduct surprise visits to neighbourhoods categorised as ?very bad? on the segregation front and take some on-the-spot measures to bring the derailed project back on track. The KMC brass has already allowed supervisors to impose spot fines on people who dump waste in alleys and streets after the morning waste collection is over.

The mayor is particularly concerned about the segregation in several north Kolkata wards in localities like Bowbazar, Bidhan Sarani, MG Road, Amherst Street and College Street. There are also large pockets in south Kolkata, like Behala, Garden Reach-Metiabruz belt and Tollygunge-Jadavpur belt, as well as areas off EM Bypass, where segregation of domestic waste does not take place.