Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
The headquarters of Udham Singh Nagar district, Rudrapur continues to grapple with its garbage management crisis despite the removal of a massive ten-lakh-tonne garbage mountain from the city’s trenching ground. While this milestone was achieved after directives from the then District Magistrate Udayraj Singh, the city’s waste collection system remains in disarray.
Rudrapur Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials attribute the inefficiency to a severe shortage of sanitation workers. According to Municipal Commissioner Naresh Chandra Durgapal, “The city requires 600 sanitation workers to maintain proper cleanliness. However, only 309 workers, including both regular and outsourced employees, are currently available. We have requested the government to create 200 additional posts to address this shortage.”
Rudrapur, spanning an area of 55.22 square kilometers, has seen significant growth in both population and municipal wards. From a population of 1.75 lakh in 2011, the city’s current population is estimated to be around three lakh. Following delimitation in 2018, the number of municipal wards increased from 20 to 40. However, the manpower and resources allocated to the RMC have not kept pace with this growth.
At present, the city’s waste collection relies on 60 vehicles, though Commissioner Durgapal said, “We require at least 80 vehicles to manage the workload efficiently. A demand for 20 additional vehicles has been submitted to the government.”
This shortage has led to heaps of garbage piling up in various parts of the city, particularly in slums and areas near the industrial hub Sidcul. Residents report irregular waste collection, with garbage vehicles visiting some wards only two to three times a week. Local resident Manish Kumar Arya said, “The vehicle does not arrive on time. We are forced to dump garbage in empty plots or roadside drains.”
The inefficiency is further compounded by problems with surcharge collection. RMC charges a monthly fee of Rs 50 per household for garbage collection, managed by women from self-help groups. However, collection inefficiencies have hindered the smooth functioning of the system, particularly in remote areas where vehicles often fail to reach.
Adding to the woes, the city’s waste disposal plants are underutilized. The compressed biogas (CBG) plant, with a capacity of 30 tonnes, processes only 10 to 12 tonnes of wet waste daily. Similarly, the dry waste processing plant, with a capacity of 90 tonnes, is unable to operate at full capacity due to inadequate garbage collection.
Nitin Singhal, a local resident, lamented, “Drains are clogged, and piles of garbage remain uncollected, causing unbearable stench and health hazards.” Subhash Biswas from Transit Camp said, “During rains, waterlogging adds to the misery as there is no proper drainage system.”
