Kathmandu, July 16:

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) began removing garbage from nooks and corners of the city today. The KMC move came after a local club opened the lock at the Teku Transfer Station on Saturday.

Chief of the Environment Management Department of the KMC Rabin Man Shrestha said members of the Risheswor Youth Club (RYC) had padlocked the Teku Transfer Station, demanding that the transfer station not be used as a landfill site for dumping garbage. Quoting the club members, Shrestha said the use of the station as a landfill site will affect locals.

“Due to the lockout, the KMC had not been able to remove garbage from the streets for a few days,” Shrestha said, adding that the KMC has already removed some 750 tonnes of garbage. He said garbage would be removed from the transfer station by tomorrow.

Secretary of the RYC Deepak Khadgi said club representatives, local leaders of the eight political parties and a former chairman of ward number 12 of the KMC agreed to open the station this morning after the KMC agreed to hold talks on Wednesday.

Khadgi said the KMC had turned the transfer station into a dumping site. “We have submitted a 15-point demand to authorities concerned, but they have not responded.”

The transfer station has affected the people living in Teku, Kalimati, Kuleswor, Balkhu and Sanepa, Khadgi said, urging the government to immediately set up five transfer stations away from human settlements.

Meanwhile, Shrestha said another group is reportedly preparing to padlock the station.

According to him, the group is demanding that all garbage be first disposed of at the transfer station so that they can take out materials useful for them.