Soon, electric vehicles to remove garbage beside Dhakuria Bridge

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will engage battery operated vehicles for quick removal of garbage that is being indiscriminately dumped beside Dhakuria Bridge in

South Kolkata.

The KMC will also come up with a small roadside garden beside the bridge to dissuade people from throwing garbage. The move from the civic body comes in the wake of the local Left Front councillor, Madhuchhanda Deb, drawing attention of the civic body to the fact that some people are making the place dirty, particularly during night.

The KMC had removed the vat container beside the bridge a few months ago and had planned to place a movable compactor in place for smooth disposal of garbage.

However, due to some administrative reasons, the movable compactor was placed at another place adjacent to a housing complex. As a result, the place beside Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Setu, popularly known as Dhakuria Bridge, is being dirtied at will. Dhakuria Bridge runs over three wards 93, 92 and 89.

Deb demanded that the movable compactor be placed near the bridge as the garbage collected will attract rats. Rodents feasting on the earth underneath the old Dhakuria Bridge has time and again weakened its structure.

The expansion joints of the bridge were changed in middle of 2018 and cement was discharged through pipes to make the structure stronger and free from rats.

"We have to ensure that no garbage accumulates there. But due to certain administrative factors we cannot station the movable compactor beside the bridge. We will come up with a roadside garden and will deploy battery operated vehicles for quick removal of garbage," said Debabrata Majumder, Member Mayor-in-Council (Solid Waste Management).

Locals alleged that the garbage from the nearby market is being indiscriminately dumped there as the movable compactor is at a reasonable

distance away.

There have been instances when garbage from nearly places have also been brought during the night and

dumped there.

"The KMC is taking a lot of measures in solid waste management and had removed open vats from the city. We are hopeful that the battery operated vehicles will speed up the process of garbage removal from the place," a local resident said.

Lake police station and the Indian Oil Bhavan is located beside Dhakuria Bridge and the road beside the Bridge also leads to Dhakuria

railway station.