Bhubaneswar, April 24: Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, a firm engaged in collecting and transporting garbage and other municipal waste from 15 wards in the city, has earned the wrath of the municipal corporation for its failure to discharge duty.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, which in April alone has issued three showcause notices to the agency, is contemplating to blacklist it.
The mayor's office has also issued a notice after Swachha Bhubaneswar Abhijan (SBA) cell submitted a report on April 16 and 17. However, the agency is yet to respond to a single notice.
The firm's attitude has also peeved Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.
"After several letters and notices, the officials of Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited are not responding. We are still waiting for their answer to the last showcause notice issued by our office on April 23. If they do not mend their ways, we will be forced to blacklist the organisation from doing any business with the civic body."
Health officer Chandrika Prasad Das said: "The officials of the organisation are not taking the letters seriously. The officials of Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited will have to come here and explain their actions."
The SBA cell members had visited all the 15 wards before submitting the report. The team leader said: "Ramky is responsible for managing the solid waste of these areas, , but it has slashed manpower and lessened the use of machines."
While there was a requirement of 665 people in 15 wards, the organisation has deputed only 578 workers. Ward No. 6 comprising Sailashree Vihar, Kanyashram and GA plot area is the worst affected with the work being done with 26 per cent cut in manpower. There is a requirement of 98 more bins and five tractors for better collection and transportation of the solid waste.
In practice, a solid waste contractor needs one tractor to lift waste from a ward, but Ramky has engaged only 10 tractors for 15 wards.
Ramky state head C. Srinivas, on the other hand, told The Telegraph that the organisation was yet to receive a single letter from the civic body on the matters relating to solid waste collection and transportation. "We are doing our work with all seriousness and the allegations are baseless," he said.
At present, solid waste collection, lifting and transportation work in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation area has been given to three agencies - Jagruti, Ramky and PMR Consortium. While there are 28 wards under Jagruti, Ramky manages 15 followed by 14 under PMR Consortium. The remaining 10 wards are still managed by the sanitation workers of the civic body.
On April 6, the SBA cell also went to ward Nos. 62 and 67 (Kargil and Sundarpada, respectively) after getting complaints against PMR Consortium and Jagruti. "However, the complaints were addressed by the agencies concerned," said an SBA official.
"We are not against any particular organisation, but who ever will try to breach rules and mess with our system will be dealt with firmly," the mayor said.
