Kitchen bins became a matter of heated debate in a meeting of the city Corporation council on Tuesday with the Opposition questioning the effectiveness of the bins in processing waste at source.
Though the Opposition BJP raised corruption allegations in the implementation of the programme, they later had to backtrack, as the Mayor insisted that wild allegations could not be permitted unless proof to support the claims were laid on the table.
As per figures presented by the health standing committee at the meeting, a total of 8,600 kitchen bins had been installed till date in households in the city, out of a total of 15,833 bins planned for the first phase. With the cost of each bin set at ₹1,800, a total of ₹2.85 crore were allocated for the initial phase, out of which ₹1.53 crore had been spent till now.
BJP councillor Karamana Ajith demanded an investigation into the implementation of the programme. He asked the Mayor to set aside the agenda to be taken up in the next council meeting after studying the figures.
“Out of the 1.5 lakh houses in the city, the bins are being provided only for 15,000 houses at such a huge amount. Even in those houses where the bins have been installed, it is not working any more. In Kalady ward, 36 such bins have been returned to the councillor’s house, as the inoculum required for it has not been supplied. There is clear corruption in the implementation of this scheme,” he said.
But with him failing to provide any proof for the corruption allegations, the agenda was passed in the meeting. The meeting also decided to reinstate sanitation worker Chellayyan Mohanan of the Chenthitta circle who was suspended over allegations of illegal collection of garbage from commercial establishments on either side of the road from Overbridge to East Fort and dumping it in the Amayizhanjan canal and the Killi river. With him tendering an apology, it was decided to reinstate him.