Now, Haritha Karma Sena’s monthly collection crosses 1 crore

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The gross collection of Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) units in the city has crossed Rs 1 crore for the first time since HKS was launched in 2022. The corporation has also achieved 100% coverage of HKS in wards in the city in March.
Collection figures for March compiled by the health wing show that the total collection of HKS in March was Rs 1.09 crore. Households accounted for the major share of this income with over Rs 90 lakh while HKS members earned Rs 3.95 lakh from the sale of non-recyclable dry waste. The rest of the collection came from shops enrolled under the scheme.
As per the figures, 1.38 lakh tonnes of waste were collected by HKS units from households and shops in the city in March. The feat of achieving Rs 1 crore in a month assumes significance since almost a year ago, not even 10% households in the corporation gave their non-biodegradable waste to HKS units, according to the report on the state of decentralised waste management in Kerala.
The report had noted that Thiruvananthapuram corporation was one local body which recorded the highest collection of waste from institutions like hospitals, schools, restaurants and hotels by HKS. However, when compared to institutional collection, only 7% households give their waste to HKS.
Even with the total monthly collection crossing Rs 1 crore, the civic body has noted that only 56% of total households from which HKS collected waste paid the user fee. The units covered around 1.6 lakh households in March. The budget for 2023-24 has set a target of Rs 1.25 crore collections by HKS in the city.
The civic body plans to achieve this objective by imposing strict measures. The corporation council has passed the agenda to implement the order issued by the local self-government department (LSGD) that mandates producing receipt of HKS user fee to receive trade license or any certificate from the civic body.
In January 2023, LSGD issued an order in which it was said that administrative councils may take appropriate decisions to collect 100% user fee of HKS from all the houses for door to door dry waste collection. The order also cited an example of making the receipt of user fee/user fee card mandatory to be produced along with the applications for various services being offered by the local bodies.
Although there are over 25,000 commercial establishments in the city, only 6713 institutions pay user fees to HKS, the agenda noted.
The committee pitched the condition of producing a user fee card or receipt of payment of user fee when the trade license is newly issued for 2023-24 or renewed.
LSGD has also issued an order by which default in payment of HKS user fee could be tabulated along with tax dues.