Pongala waste management: Corp completes internal probe

Thiruvananthapuram: The city corporation is learnt to have completed a high-level internal inquiry into the circumstances which led to corporation availing service of 21 trucks for the removal of Attukal pongala waste. Mayor Arya Rajendran and corporation health standing committee have been facing criticism over alleged irregularities in deploying trucks for pongala waste management when the pongala was held in households. The civic body is yet to receive a formal communication from local self-government department (LSGD) regarding an inquiry by additional chief secretary, LSGD.
According to officials, the number of trucks required for the waste collection was twice revised — first by mayor Rajendran and then by the corporation secretary owing to the uncertainty over the conduct of pongala.
When the tender file was first prepared in December, it was mentioned that around 50 trucks were required. Later it was revised to 35 and then to 21. The corporation secretary also suggested that 10 trucks may be arranged on call basis if at all requirement arises for waste management.
Trucks were rented for three days. The health wing officials had communicated to the corporation council that people living in wards coming under festival zone usually dumped all household waste on roadside on the day of pongala hoping that it would be collected from corporation workers during the cleaning drive.
On pongala day, the quantity of waste was less than that used to be collected in previous years. When the waste was found to be of little quantity directives were issued to mop up waste piles from other parts of the festival wards.
The officials had to deal with unexpected hurdles as the staff of World Market had objected to dumping of waste there. The corporation office had to contact the office of district collector and sought her intervention in resolving the issue. Waste was also transported to a site at Mangalapuram using the trucks which were rented for pongala waste collection. While the officials admit that there were procedural lapses in file work, the city corporation has not paid any money towards the bills furnished regarding collection and transportation of waste.
Meanwhile, the row over transportation of pongala waste has also forced the corporation officials to initiate an audit into the manner in which funds were spent for manpower management, waste transportation and collection, providing food and refreshments as part of Attukal pongala waste management. The officials are looking into advance payments and actual expenditure requirements of health officials in the previous years in the wake of the recent development.
In a press note issued by the mayor the other day, she said that corporation would spend Rs 20 lakh for deploying temporary staff and that an amount of Rs 25 lakh would be spent annually for removal of waste during pongala and that this year this expense came down to Rs 3.57 lakh.