A view of Nelson Road in Srirangam that has been converted into a litter-free corridor.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Tiruchi Corporation has expanded the litter-free corridor initiative, covering around 36 roads in all five zones in the city to promote effective solid waste management practices.
The initiative was launched in July through S.R. Vedhaah, private agency managing the city’s waste collection, to prevent improper waste disposal on roads. So far, around 36 roads, commercial and residential stretches, for around 34.4 km have been converted into litter-free corridors.
Salai Road, Chithirai Veedhi, Uthirai Veedhi, Nelson Road, Panjakarai Road, W.B. Road, Madurai Road, Bharathidasan Salai, Bharathiar Salai, Marjor Saravanan Road, E.V.R. Road, Rajaram Salai, Karur Bypass, Sivaprakasam Salai, Pattabiraman Salai, Sastri Road, VOC Road, College Road, Parupukara Street, and Oyamari Road are some of the stretches covered under the initiative.
In the next phase, Vayalur Road, Good Shed Road, and Gandhi Road are being spruced up. Corporation Commissioner V. Saravanan has instructed the officials to closely monitor the litter-free corridors and initiate steps to create more litter-free stretches. “We aim to create a garbage-free city, and more roads will be identified and included under the initiative,” said Kishore Mohan, operations head of the agency.
Under the initiative, the civic body has engaged a dedicated team of 16 sanitation workers to collect waste, and the frequency of collection had been increased from once a day to four. About 15 battery-operated vehicles and three light commercial vehicles were used to collect waste from shops and households. Additional workers were engaged in night sweeping every day to remove silt accumulation on roads.
Sign boards indicating a “litter-free corridor” were erected to prevent improper waste disposal. Commercial outlets on all such stretches had been instructed to place garbage bins in their shops to avoid littering on roads. The corridors had been beautified by creating open green space and planting decorative plants on the medians and saplings along the roads.
Officials said the public was being sensitised to segregate and dispose of the waste effectively and support solid waste management initiatives.
