Alipurduar: In a bid to strengthen solid waste management and promote cleanliness in surrounding rural areas, Alipurduar Municipality has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with four adjoining Gram Panchayats.
Already recognised across Bengal for its efficient waste management model, the municipality had previously partnered with Vivekananda-I and Pororpar Gram Panchayats. On Friday, it extended the initiative by signing similar MoUs with Vivekananda-II and Banchugamari.
Sources in the municipal office said that until now, waste was collected twice a day — from morning and evening — from the municipality’s 20 wards. The garbage was then processed at the Solid Waste Management Centre near Majherdabri Tea Estate, where it is scientifically treated to produce compost. The plant requires about 21 tonnes of waste daily to function efficiently.
Municipality Chairman Prasanjit Kar said: “We’re meeting the waste requirement with garbage from Alipurduar town itself. But managing waste in nearby villages has been a challenge. Our aim is to maintain the same standard of cleanliness in both urban and rural areas.”
As part of the MoU, Panchayats will handle local collection and temporary storage of waste, while the municipality will take responsibility for transporting and processing it. Plans are also underway to distribute blue and green waste bins door-to-door in Panchayat areas to encourage proper segregation at the source.
Several other Gram Panchayats, including Kamakhyaguri and Hasimara, have shown interest in the initiative, with MoUs likely to be signed soon.