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Zilla panchayat to carry out survey; focus on proper disposal of waste

A committee led by district surveillance officer will survey poultry farms, chicken shops and piggeries in Dakshina Kannada. The survey report will give details of these establishments in the district and check the food supplied to fowls in poultry farms, Zilla Panchayat CEO M R Ravi said and raised questions of hygiene at these farms.

He was speaking at the district-level water and sanitation meeting here on Tuesday.

The committee will consist of the deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Department, taluk panchayat executive officers and a representative of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). Ravi said improper disposal of chicken waste was raising a stink and announced a meeting of poultry farm owners to discuss the matter.

Near human habitation

K K Shahul Hameed, chairman of the Standing Committee on Education and Health, said several poultry farms in the district were located within 200 metres of human habitations in clear violation of the rules.
Sarvotham Gowda, chairman, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Industries, and Asha Thimmappa Gowda, chairperson, Standing Committee on Social Justice, called on gram panchayats to issue licences to poultry farms on the condition that they dispose the waste scientifically. Besides, gram panchayats should check the availability of land in poultries for scientific disposal of waste.

Garbage campaign

To raise awareness among the public on solid waste management, the zilla panchayat will organise a campaign entitled ‘Namma tyajya, namma hone’ (our garbage, our responsibility) by involving eductional institutions and NGOs. People will also be sensitised to the need to set up biogas units for scientific disposal of organic kitchen waste.

ZP Deputy Secretary N R Umesh said four hostels run by the Social Welfare Department had already installed biogas units. The ZP CEO said the campaign would aim to empower people by changing their mindset and attitude in disposal of garbage.

Social audit

Sanitation co-ordinator Manjula said a social audit of all households in 230 gram panchayats would be carried out from August 16 onwards as part of the open defecation free programme. Dakshina Kannada has already been declared free from open defecation. The social audit will check whether all households have toilets.

Besides, the zilla panchayat will also implement Swachhatha Neeti (cleanliness policy) in all gram panchayats. Plastic will be collected from households for recycling. Dharmasthala, Uppinangady, Kadaba and Sangabettu gram panchayats have already collected plastic from households and sold it for reuse. The CEO directed the officials to pick up plastic from collection points in each gram panchayat.