Toll-free helpline for garbage disposal launched/ in city

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 3

To tackle the menace of garbage disposal in the city ahead of the festive season, the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar has launched a toll-free helpline that will serve as an immediate effective solution to clean up the city roads. The number 1800 180 2103 will be functional 24/7 for registering complaints regarding garbage disposal. The residents can call on the number and register a complaint and a task force will be assigned to clean up the area and report to the sanitary inspectors in charge of the zones.The city has been divided into five zones with each zone assigned a sanitary inspector to keep a check on the effective implementation of the service.

“These inspectors will oversee the implementation of the Registered Debris Call System. We registered 108 complaints today through the helpline, out of which 90 were resolved. This service will enable residents to keep a track on their surroundings and MC employees will be at their disposal all the time,” said Pradeep Sabbarwal, Commissioner, MCA.The new helpline comes as welcome change during the festive season as the city gears up to host more than one lakh tourists every day.

“Guru Ki Nagri is visited by four lakh tourists during the festive season on an average and it becomes important to work towards keeping it clean. Our aim is to provide a quick and effective solution to this problem,” he said. Sabbarwal also said that he had instructed all his officials to take the issue seriously and report even the slightest of glitches in the system. The MC has also instructed the private and government contractors to lift garbage, to avoid use of faulty machinery and a negligent attitude that could hinder the smooth functioning of the new constituted system.

Gurbans Singh has been appointed sanitary inspector of the north zone, Rakesh Marwaha will be in charge of the south zone, Chanchal Singh for the east zone, Amar Singh for the central zone and Jagdeep Singh for the west zone. These inspectors will report directly to the health officer while Sabbarwal himself will keep a track of the overall operations. So far, despite the implementation of Swachh Bharat movement and several initiatives by the MC, the garbage-disposal problem has remained one of the biggest unresolved issues in city.

The Bhagtanwala solid waste management plant row not finding its end and an inconsistent garbage-lifting mechanism not helping, the new toll-free helpline aims to provide a quick-fix solution.