Mayor, team discuss replicating Indore model; Fund crunch to be a major roadblock

Mysore/Mysuru: A delegation of 48 members from the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) consisting of the Mayor and Corporators and select officers recently embarked on a comprehensive cleanliness study tour of Indore.

During their visit, the team extensively explored the solid waste management system implemented by the Indore Municipal Corporation, which includes efficient door-to-door garbage collection, six-bin waste segregation and strategically located garbage transfer stations.

They also had the opportunity to observe key facilities like the bio CNG Plant, situated at the Devguradia trenching ground, the Integrated Command and Control Centres and the Waste Processing Plant, among others. The objective behind this study tour is to promote the adoption of similar practices and technologies in Mysuru.

Returning from the tour, Mayor Shivakumar had called a meeting yesterday morning with Corporators, MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, officers and Opposition leaders and Corporators to discuss how the Indore model can be implemented in Mysuru.

Indore, renowned for securing the title of the cleanest city in India for the sixth consecutive year, is also recognised as one of the smartest cities in the country. The city consistently strives towards achieving a green revolution, serving as an inspiration for other cities to emulate its success.

Monetising waste

During the meeting, Shivakumar mentioned that the team has studied and assimilated several arrangements from the tour. “We have observed various facilities such as GPS-enabled waste management, bio CNG Plant, operating CNG buses in Indore, and implementing plans for the convenience of the environment.”

“Indore, with a population of 31 lakh to 32 lakh has over 10,000 Pourakarmikas and Mysuru, with 14 lakh to 15 lakh population, has over 2,000 Pourakarmikas. Even if we appoint 150 more, the MCC needs an annual Rs. 5 crore funds,” he said.

There are many initiatives that make Indore consistently bag the ‘Cleanest City in India’ title. “Like they clean the city twice a day and in some commercial areas, cleaning is undertaken thrice a day. Also, the household dry and wet waste is segregated by residents in six bins and they are collected in GPS-linked vehicles. Waste is treated and Compressed Natural Gas and biogas is produced with which Indore gets revenue and several vehicles operate with the gas,” the Mayor noted.

Fund mobilisation

Corporators mentioned the implementation of a single-use plastic ban and exploring various beneficial schemes for Mysuru to become a clean city. They expressed the need for proper disposal of dry waste and utilising waste for creating various products. They also emphasised the importance of earning revenue from waste.

The meeting also discussed the mobilisation of resources to carry out various tasks and it was decided to take a delegation to the Chief Minister, requesting an annual allocation so that the Indore model can be replicated in Mysuru.

Why officers left out?

Congress members expressed their dissatisfaction as the Mayor’s team took only Corporators but not officers who are crucial in making decisions and formulating policies. They questioned why officers were excluded from the tour and sought a detailed discussion on that topic.

Corporators Ayub Khan, Arif Hussain, Shanthakumari, Prema Shankaregowda, B.V. Manjunath, K.V. Sridhar, MCC Superintending Engineer Mahesh, Chief Health Officer Dr. D.G. Nagaraju, Chairpersons of all Standing Committees and Works Committees, Health and Environment Engineers attended the meeting.