Siliguri, Oct. 31: Initiative on the part of the civic body and some civic sense on the part of the residents is all that it will take to keep the town squeaky clean. Either that, or a Rs 6 crore clean-up project.

That was the result thrown up by a survey conducted by the United States Asia Environment Partnership (USAEP) which highlighted the lack of technical knowhow and shortage of vehicles, equipment and manpower as the shortcomings of the civic body.

The agency, which works with international development projects, also states that 95 per cent of the urban population continues to throw garbage on the streets rather than disposing it through the corporation wheelbarrow-man.

A Supreme Court committee formed by the ministry of environment had, on September 25, 2000, prepared a draft — Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling), Rules 2000 — laying down the manner in which solid waste should be handled, processed and disposed.

The USAEP project also found fault with other practices of the corporation, including partial storage, non-segregation, inadequate collection, improper design of waste storage depots, irregular sweeping, insufficient handcarts and lack of synchronisation between secondary collectors and transport managers.

Lack of law enforcement, holding up services on Sundays and public holidays and the lack of awareness is taking a toll on the system. The town, which produces 300 tonnes of solid waste and 150 kg of clinical waste each day, needs a proper waste management plan, the report stated.

The setting up of a compost plant and a Rs 6 crore implementation strategy has been suggested by the agency to set things right in the town.

“The municipality shall adopt suitable technology or combination of such technologies to make use of waste so as to minimise burden of landfill. Composting, vermi-composting or anaerobic digestion, acceptable under Indian weather conditions, should be introduced to make best use of solid waste,” the report suggests.

A team of delegates from the agency, including environment experts, met the officials of the district administration, Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), pollution control board and representatives of the local tea gardens to discuss the modalities of the project here last week.

“We met representatives of the USAEP to discuss the plans they have chalked out for the SMC in the project report. But we have not yet drawn up an estimate for the implementation,” said SMC mayor Bikash Ghosh.

Member mayor-in-council (MIC), conservancy, Mukul Sengupta said the SMC would rope in a company which could use the end-product of the composting plant and to reduce the burden on the SMC because it cannot afford to shoulder the entire amount. “We have to enter into agreements with companies which will implement the project and use its end-product,” said Sengupta. “We have decided to give away up to 30 acres of land for the purpose. We will try to implement the project within three months from now,” said Ghosh.