Vijayawada: SWPCs should be utilised fully, says Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy

Vijayawada: Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development, Mines and village secretariats Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy instructed the officials of the Swatchandra Corporation to utilise the solid waste processing centres (SWPCs) one hundred per cent keeping in view the Jagananna Swatcha Sankalpam scheme.

The Minister was informed that out of 9,800 SWPCs in the State only 1,600 centres are being utilised. There is not even road facility to 478 centres, the officials pointed out. Peddireddi assured them that he would take up the issue with the officials of the Panchayat Raj department to construct the roads to the centres. The Minister told the officials that free dustbins should be distributed to households to collect wet and dry waste separately. The dustbins distribution has already been started and it should be expedited. Tenders are being invited to purchase dustbins in some districts.

The people in the villages in particular should be sensitised to segregate wet and dry waste before handing over to the sanitary staff, the Minister said. He underlined the importance of setting up more SWPCs to make vermi-compost at these centres to sell to the farmers. Likewise, the glass, plastic and papers could be segregated from dry waste to sell the same to the reprocessing centres. Several such companies are evincing interest to purchase them.

Later, the Minister reviewed the schemes of YSR Aasara, YSR Cheyutha and YST Pension Kanuka being implemented by the SERP. Peddireddi complimented the SERP officials for distributing 98.8 per cent of pensions in December.