Andhra’s Kakinada may face sanitation challenge
KAKINADA: “Once TDP-JSP-BJP alliance come to power, I will request and ensure removal of garbage tax,” said Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan during his campaign before the elections. If, like the JSP chief promised, the garbage tax is removed, the Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC), which are relying upon these taxes to maintain sanitation and Clean Andhra Pradesh” (CLAP) vehicles, will face significant challenges.
It may be recalled that the previous State government implemented a garbage tax, collecting Rs 60 from areas like Dummulapeta, Sanjay Nagar and Rs 90 from areas such as Ramaraopeta and Gandhi Nagar every month, which was then distributed to three State contractors. These contractors, in turn, pay Rs 54,000 per month for each CLAP vehicle’s maintenance.
However, if the newly elected TDP-led NDA alliance government abolish this garbage tax, the maintenance of sanitation and CLAP vehicles, which collect garbage door-todoor will be complicated. KMC serves 1.12 lakh households across 50 divisions, handling approximately 220 metric tonnes of garbage daily.
As per the user charges were implemented in July 2021, KMC is collecting Rs 21 lakh per month from the 35,000 households in slum areas and Rs 69.75 lakh from the rest, totaling Rs 90.75 lakh per month. Out of this amount, 56.70 lakh was allocated for the maintenance of the 105 CLAP vehicles. The KMC operates through 14 circles and employs 14 sanitary inspectors for the 50 divisions.
The workforce includes 101 ward secretariat secretaries, 21 masons, 36 drivers, and 1,100 regular, contract, and out-sourcing staff. There are 105 vehicles operated by 120 drivers and maintained by Swayambhu Transport Private Limited, which pays Rs 54,000 to each vehicle per month.
