Kulgam, Feb 05: In a collaborative effort between the administration and private players, rural areas in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district are undergoing a door-to-door waste collection initiative.
Implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the endeavour aims to transform the district’s rural landscape into a waste-free environment.
Hooper vehicles, typically seen in cities, are now resonating through the rural areas of Kulgam. The Rural Development Department (RDD) has procured vehicles to collect solid waste from the countryside in the district, implementing Swachh Bharat (Grameen) on the ground through collaboration between the administration and private players.
Deputy Commissioner (DC), Kulgam Athar Aamir Khan said, in Kulgam District they are working on implementing the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model of Rural Solid Waste Management.
He said the aim is to have a system of reliable door to door collection for solid waste covering all Gram Panchayats and also a proper scientific disposal mechanism. The infrastructure is built through government and the operations through private players on PPP basis against collection of user charges.
“The limited resources, huge geographical extent and spread-out population distribution are huge challenges in rural areas unlike urban ones. But, we are hopeful to make this model sustainable in the district,” he said.
He said, this week they have started the implementation in the district initially in four (4) blocks and will gradually be expanded across the district. Public support is the key, he added.
An official said that the administration has collaborated with local private players for the Kulgam, Qaimoh, Damhal Hanjipora, Pombay, Devsar, and Kund blocks, partnering with WaWe firm. Similarly, for the Frisal block, the administration has collaborated with a local private partner, and for Manzgam, it’s with JK RTI Foundation and their waste management wing for waste collection.
Amir Ayoub, a private player who runs a ‘Waste to Wealth (WaWe) Enviro Solutions’, a social enterprise, told Rising Kashmir that he has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Administration in Kulgam for door-to-door waste collection in rural areas.
He said their group will handle the operation and maintenance of the Swachh Kulgam initiative, while the government has already built the basic infrastructure for it.
“We will collect solid waste at the recurring cost. People have shown good support to the initiative after there was an awareness program held prior to implementing the initiative on the ground,” he said
“It’s a ‘One step at a time’ approach to ensure a clean environment – Swachh Kulgam contributing to Swachh Bharat under the esteemed leadership of DC Kulgam, Athar Aamir Khan,” he said.
