Nellore: The Nellore Municipal Corporation (NMC) with a focus on waste management and making the city free from waste, is creating awareness among the citizens to hand over waste to civic staff.

It also plans to impose fines on violators to deter residents from dumping their waste in public places that gives a poor look to the city and also spreads diseases.

It would also be honouring at least three localities that maintain hygiene and cleanliness.

Nellore City, spread across 150 sq km generates 250 to 300 metric tonnes of solid waste per day. At present, the waste collected from 54 divisions is being dumped at a transit point at Bodigadi Thota and from there, it is being shifted to places on the city outskirts.

Open disposal of waste is creating mosquito menace in the town.

As part of the initiative to maintain cleanliness in the city and methodical disposal of garbage, the NMC has laid emphasis on raising awareness among people about the segregation of wet and dry wastes at the source, which can be recycled.

Calling the people to cooperate with authorities, Municipal Commissioner Vikas Marmat appealed to the citizens to join hands with civic authorities for safe disposal of garbage. He said with joint efforts of the people and the municipal corporation the waste can be recycled that can further be converted into bio-fertilizers. “Efficient waste management would also help in curbing mosquito menace, leading to several dangerous diseases,” he said

Also, in a first of its kind initiative that would promote localities that maintain cleanliness, the NMC has decided to select the best divisions every three months that maintain cleanliness in their localities and honour the citizens. /BI/