The Garbage Tower

NMF lorries.  Thanks Hindu

Neel Metal Fanalca (NMF) is the company that handles Conservancy works in four parts of the metro city Chennai.  There was a news about this company on July 22nd, about its contract being terminated

Actually, the news about its contract on the dangle was already announced sometime in May.  But I didnt think it would be replaced entirely.  After I had read the news in July, I was expecting some kind of improvement.  But it was the same as always and I thought to myself, alright this is how it is going to be for the entire 7 year contract term.  But then for the past 7-10 days there has been no trucks in sight.  At first I thought that only our street has been neglected.  Then seeing the other parts, I thought the whole zone has been neglected.  After a little bit of digging I learnt that NMF is no longer in its service

This is what has happened to the NMF.  The corporation has been constantly receiving complaints about the poor service of the company and the mayor was waiting till he got a  nod from the State government.  The mayor however had earlier announced in May that NMF would wrap its services one zone at a time.  But the situation right now is NMF has wrapped its services altogether and has submitted its contract termination.  Along with it, NMF has appealed in the high court, which had given NMF the permission to carry out its operation till December 2011.

The bids are being prepared by the state and Global bids will be afloat soon.  But the problem is if we are to bear it either till High court issues an order or till the Contract term of Dec 2011 expires (whichever is first).  As of now its a real sore to the eye to look at the piling garbage day after day, with scavengers and street dogs making it even more worse.

Well lets see what annoyed me the most of this poor service of NMF
1. The NMF lorries had never been consistent.  They would come regularly for a week and then poof, they wont show for a day or two
2. There is another service of the tricycle that collects garbage door to door and puts it at the proper disposal site.  I am not sure if that disposal site is the big collector bin, which the lorries empties to itself.
3.  The bins are the easiest source for the scavengers who look for the plastic bags which each house hold uses to wrap the garbage.  They simply empty the contents to the road and take the plastic bags to sell in the waste paper marts.  The NMF workers does nothing to the spilled garbage on streets.  They only take care of the bins.  A scoop or two from the road wouldnt hurt.
4. Sometimes its annoying to see even the NMF workers do the same work as the scavengers.  At least they dont spill things on the road, still its not quite right.

Wondering if I have no other work than watch all these nonsense.  Well, my house, at least my windows are just facing the road and I will always notice the NMF lorries thanks to the loud noises of the vehicles and the traffic jam till it clears its way out

After all the pain, I have now taken serious vows to reduce and recycle at the most.  Whenever I go to shop the vegetables, I make it a point to carry a big bag and avoid those plastic bags.  I have still not completely reduced the usage of plastic  bags but I am working at it.  Also I am working on reducing the garbage too (just don't know how yet).  Did you know that Reliance Fresh has started its work on this reduction.  It charges a rupee or two if you forget to bring your own bags.  Well that's a  fresh start.  I now a days, take a big bag everywhere.  I mean I don't want to take even the small bags from the small shop vendors.

I am just waiting to hear a good news on these Conservancy services.  With this abrupt termination of services, I am not sure if Corporation is going to take over the services or will bring a new one as soon as possible.  Till then share your views as to how you are going to be, at least a small part of this conservancy service.