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Waste oil collectors livelihood in peril
The association submitted a memorandum to ministry of defence and requested the local MP Dr K Haribabu to intervene in the matter. On his request, the ENC resumed permission but the Naval Dockyard has been refusing to accord permission to resume oil collection, Vasudeva Rao said.
Visakhapatnam: The Naval Dockyard has denied permission to the waste oil collectors to clean the oil spillage despite a permission given by the Eastern Naval Command headquarters.
Around 50 families, who have been eking out a living on waste oil collection since 1977, are now on the roads as they are not finding alternative means of livelihood.
These waste oil collectors not only make little money but also keep the ocean clean from oil spillage and garbage.
“We are doing a free service to the Naval Dockyard and Visakhapatnam Port Trust by removing the waste oil and garbage from the ocean surface, which would have cost these two organisations crores of rupees,” said president of Visakha Waste Oil Collectors Welfare Association Thota Vasudeva Rao.
Rao told reporters on Sunday that they started collection of waste oil and garbage from the port and dockyard waters in 1977 making out a small living on it. The work began with C Channel of Navy harbour.
But in 1993, the Eastern Naval Command officers banned their entry on security reasons. On request from the Association, former Collector Ajay Kallam wrote a letter to the ENC headquarters and oil collection resumed in 1994. Since then, they have been collecting the waste oil, cleaning barges and clearing bushes along the channel bank without charging a rupee from the naval authorities. Subsequently, the ENC gave them a place to store the waste oil and parking place for 10 railway containers to transport the waste oil.
The ENC again issued orders in January 2015 asking them to vacate the place and hand it over to the Navy. In April 2015, they ENC denied permission to collect the waste oil.
The association submitted a memorandum to ministry of defence and requested the local MP Dr K Haribabu to intervene in the matter. On his request, the ENC resumed permission but the Naval Dockyard has been refusing to accord permission to resume oil collection, Vasudeva Rao said.
“We are requesting the Naval Dockyard authorities to give permission to collect the waste oil as it would earn bread for 50 families and keep the sea surface clean from waste oil and filth,’’ Vasudeva Rao said.
Sources said the Union Ministry of Forests, Environment and Climate Change has asked the ports and naval dockyards to keep the sea surface free from pollution.
