Metro»
The government must take a firm stand to solve the garbage problem
KATHMANDU, SEP 01 -
Frequent obstructions in garbage disposal have left us helpless and furious. In the last five years, we have had 60 different agreements with the residents living around the landfill sites, yet there is no solution in sight.
Every time the locals came up with different demands, we, officials at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre (SWMRMC) and the Ministry of Local Development, signed agreements addressing their concerns.
However, the situation hasn’t improved an iota. The locals keep changing their demands. In the past, locals not only halted garbage disposal but also threatened us with violence. Few months ago, the villagers manhandled Deepak Kanshakar, a friend of mine who oversees the Aletar landfill site.
He was verbally abused. The locals even threatened him with life if the KMC disposed of the waste in their area anymore. We at the KMC and the local development ministry perform a thankless job.
The government has spent nearly Rs. 1.03 billion on overall construction and development of the area. Over 200 million has been spent for local development alone. Well the money did lead some development, but much of it was misused by
local users’ groups. When our auditors raised questions, the locals threatened to disrupt the garbage disposal again.
Given the nature of obstruction, if appropriate measures are not taken on time, I fear it will become a perennial problem for the residents of the Kathmandu valley.
Though the government is considering a master plan to solve the problems of the area, the plan is still at the discussion phase. For this, first we need to identify the problems facing the area and draw up a plan in consultation with the locals. All the local political forces must be brought under this framework.
But before the plan is implemented, the government needs to show its presence. While genuine grievances need to be addressed, other forms of nuisance should not be tolerated. The government must be prepared to use force, if the situation demands.
There should be no negotiations with fly-by-night groups. Yielding to every Tom, Dick and Harry has sent a wrong signal across some miscreants that they can do whatever whenever they please.
There needs to be clear commitment from political leaders at the central level that would prevent their local cadres from exploiting the situation for their own expediency. People close to some parties reached agreement on Monday, and the next day those aligned with another party announced fresh disruption. This
is untenable. The administration must be prepared to claw back its authority now.
(As told by Rabin Man Shrestha, Chief of Environment Management Division, KMC, to ISHWAR RAUNIYAR of The Kathmandu Post)
Posted on: 2010-09-02 08:32
Headlines
Advertisements
