Chandigarh: Mayor writes to MP for funds to buy leaf collector machines

With the onset of spring and a surge in leaf shedding across Chandigarh, city mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla wrote a letter to member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari on Thursday, requesting the allocation of adequate funds from the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) to the cash-strapped Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) for buying at least five leaf collector machines to manage the city’s leaf waste.

The letter came after HT had highlighted that due to a lack of adequate scientific processing facilities and collection equipment, heaps of dry leaves have accumulated along roadsides, turning civic neglect into a growing eyesore and potential fire hazard.

In the letter, Babla wrote, “In Chandigarh, trees shed leaves particularly from March to April and from September to November every year, with pilkhan, kusum, and broad-leafed trees shedding their leaves to reveal their sculptural structures and prepare for new growth. Also, as per the India State of Forest Report - 2015 released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the forest cover in Chandigarh is 48.03 sq km, and another 9 sq km area is under tree cover. As a result, a huge quantity of dry leaves falls on each and every corner of the city. To address this seasonal challenge, the MC has deployed machinery for the collection and transportation of these fallen dry leaves/horticulture waste for their scientific disposal. In the autumn season, about 120 to 130 metric tons of dry leaves/horticulture waste are lifted on a daily basis.”

“For the collection of dry leaves, manpower and machinery have been deployed by the MC. However, they can cover areas up to a limit. To tackle the situation and ensure proper collection of dry leaves from the main roads of northern sectors of the city, five leaf collector machines are required, which can be further mounted with tractor trolley. With the deployment of leaf collection machines with tractor trolleys, the volume of dry leaves will be reduced. The collected dry leaves will be transported to a facility for their scientific disposal,” Babla further wrote in the letter.

Babla added that the tentative cost of one machine is ₹6 to ₹10 lakh, and minimum five such machines are required. She requested the MP to provide five leaf collector machines from the MPLAD fund.

At present, the city’s infrastructure for handling such seasonal waste remains woefully inadequate. The MC operates composting pits at 104 sites inside parks, with a total capacity of just 32 tons per day (TPD). These pits are used to process a mix of dry leaves and horticulture waste into compost. However, given the large volume of leaves being shed every season, tons of leaf litter remain uncollected across city streets.

5 served ₹6,701 challans for burning waste

The municipal corporation on Thursday issued five challans, each worth ₹6,701, for burning waste and dry leaves.

The sanitation wing issued five challans to offenders at different locations, including PGI Club, Sector 2; SCO Number 2453 in Sector 22-C; Sector-17 ISBT; Shed Number 1, HB-232, Sarangpur; and House Number 3118, Sector 15/D.

A total penalty of ₹33,505 was collected as part of this enforcement activity, carried out strictly as per the directions and orders of municipal commissioner Amit Kumar.

On Thursday, the commissioner also terminated the services of six outsourced safai karamcharis over unauthorised absence, indiscipline and unsatisfactory work performance.