The involvement of private agencies in the door-to-door collection of waste in Kozhikode is a cause for concern, observed a meeting of the Kozhikode corporation council on Wednesday. In view of the fire that broke out in a scrap collection unit at Cheruvannur recently and the presence of similar units across the city, the corporation needs to keep track on how these private agencies dispose of the waste they collect, said councillor K.P. Rajesh in a submission. The councillor pointed out that the presence of private agencies put a dent on the earnings of the corporation’s Harithakarma Sena.
Some councillors pointed out that private agencies were preferred by many as they do not demand segregation of waste. On the other hand, the Harithakarma Sena demands that waste be properly segregated at the source primarily as biodegradable and non-biodegradable besides its subdivisions such as plastic, metal, glass and e-waste.
Councillor C.P. Sulaiman said that it was mainly commercial establishments that preferred to hand over waste to private agencies while households complied with the norms of the Harithakarma Sena. He demanded the intervention of the corporation to bring the whole system into the government fold.
However, Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafir Ahamed said that the Harithakarma Sena in the corporation was not fully equipped to meet the demands of the whole city. While the Sena is very active and strong in some wards, it has barely started functioning in some others. He said that it was necessary to bear with private agencies until the Sena is fully equipped to meet demands of the city.
