Govt in a spot: Waste from staffs' homes found in Secretariat bins!

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an embarrassment to the government, which is striving to make the state "garbage-free" in the next two years, the government has found that even in the government's administrative headquarters, the Secretariat, some employees are bringing waste generated in their home and dumping it in the Secretariat.
As a measure to address this issue, it has been decided to bring all waste bins in the Secretariat under CCTV surveillance. As per a circular issued by the general administration department last week, the government has also decided to treat such behaviour from employees as a breach of discipline, and strict disciplinary action will be initiated against those dumping their waste from their households in the Secretariat.
As part of cleansing the Secretariat building and premises, it has also been decided to remove the heaps of defunct files, publications, registers and reports stacked outside many of the departments with immediate effect. The housekeeping division has been asked to take over the possession of empty shelves that are lined up on the verandas after removing the outdated files and reports and get them removed. The respective department supervisory officers will be responsible for the removal, failing which a fine will be slapped on them.
The circular also asked all employees to bring food in reusable lunch boxes and avoid bringing food in disposable ones and plastic bottles. The government has also asked to immediately end nurturing the aesthetic sense of employees by cultivating decorative plants in unused bottles in many sections of the Secretariat.
The circular said it has been found that these are becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes as they are largely left unattended, and the health department has warned that these can become a potential source of dengue.
In addition to cleansing the surroundings by removing construction waste that forms the majority of non-biodegradable waste inside the Secretariat compound, the government has also ordered the immediate removal of vehicles lying unused and causing security risks as well as causing space congestion. The government has asked Secretariat employees not to feed and protect stray dogs inside the Secretariat compound.
The circular said the main reason behind the increasing dog menace inside the premises is because many employees feed stray dogs.
Several employees, drivers and visitors have already suffered stray dog attacks inside the compound, and the government has received several complaints in this regard. It has been decided to plug the gaps in the fence of the Secretariat compound so that stray dogs do not enter the place.