Kurnool: Minister for Industries, Commerce, and Food Processing, TG Bharath, has directed sanitation supervisory staff to intensify cleanliness drives across the city. Reviewing sanitation measures at the Municipal Meeting Hall in SBI Employees Colony on Monday, the Minister was accompanied by Municipal Commissioner S Ravindra Babu, along with sanitation supervisors, secretaries, and engineering staff.

Addressing the officials, he expressed concern over the increasing number of public complaints regarding poor sanitation. He instructed the supervisory staff to pay special attention to recurring issues and take proactive measures instead of waiting for complaints to arise. He made it clear that if sanitation standards fail to improve in the coming days, the responsibility will rest squarely on the concerned staff, and strict action will be taken against them.

He emphasized transforming the city into a garbage point-free zone, similar to the sanitation standards maintained in Visakhapatnam. He ordered officials to identify and warn individuals dumping waste on roadsides and to initiate strict action against repeat offenders. Furthermore, he instructed that banners and posters should not be pasted on public properties, and any violations in this regard must be dealt with sternly. He specifically noted that banners obstructing CCTV cameras could hinder investigations in case of any untoward incidents, and those responsible would be held accountable.

Commissioner S Ravindra Babu, during the meeting, stressed the need for coordinated efforts between sanitation, engineering, and urban planning departments. He directed sanitation staff to take responsibility for resolving issues related to sewage canal encroachments and structural irregularities. He also called for 100% door-to-door garbage collection and instructed officials to raise widespread public awareness about the dangers of dumping waste on roads and in drains.

The Commissioner further informed that the government is taking steps toward establishing a Waste-to-Energy plant in the city. This initiative would help generate electricity from the waste collected not only in Kurnool but also from neighboring municipalities. He also directed officials to draft proposals for relocating drinking water pipelines currently passing through sewage canals to ensure public health safety.

Public Health Officer Dr. Vishweshwar Reddy, Sanitation Supervisory Officer Nagaraju, In-charge SE and others attended the program.