Garbage dumping to begin by Saturday

Kathmandu, October 9:

A meeting held today between representatives of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City (LSMC) and general manager of the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre (SWMRMC) decided to write to the Okharpauwa Sanitary Landfill Site

Main Coordination Committee (OSLMCC) tomorrow to resolve the local issues by Friday.

The meeting, held in the presence of Minister for Local Development Rajendra Pandey, secretary and joint secretary of the ministry, also decided to begin dumping garbage at the site from Saturday even if the issues remain unresolved by the time the three-day ultimatum given to the OSLMCC expires. It also decided to dissolve the OSLMCC if the deadlock persists and form another committee in its place.

The meeting held the OSLMCC responsible for preventing the KMC and LSMC from dumping garbage at the site. “We came to the conclusion that the inefficiency of the OSLMCC has led the municipalities into trouble. We agreed to give the OSLMCC three days, beginning tomorrow, to create a favourable environment and call us to transport garbage at the site by

Friday,” said Dinesh Thapaliya, the chief executive office of the KMC.

“The municipalities had begun dumping garbage at the site after the four parties - KMC,

LSMC, SWMRMC and the main coordination committee of the locals - reached an agreement some 16 months ago,” Thapaliya said, adding that failure on the part of the OSLMCC to resolve the issues raised by locals has prevented the transportation and dumping of garbage at Sisdole since July 30, 2006.

The agreement will be automatically scrapped if the locals fail to create a favourable environment and do not call the municipalities to resume transporting garbage at the site, he said.

Even if the issues are not resolved, the government will begin transporting garbage at the site and dumping it there by Saturday, he said. The meeting also agreed to make public the details of how and where Rs 7.5 million provided by the KMC, LSMC and SWMRMC for development of the Okharpauwa area has been used. It also agreed to locate alternative places to dump the valley’s garbage.

However, treasurer of the OSLMCC Sriram Dhungana said: “The government is against the OSLMCC and is conspiring against us. The government has not called us for talks yet,” he said, adding that the committee has only appealed to the government to meet basic demands of the locals. “We will fight to prevent dumping of garbage if the government becomes aggressive.”