Mayor S. Nagarathinam (centre) chairing the council meeting held in Erode in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: GOVARTHAN M.
Corporation Commissioner Arpit Jain on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) said the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, mandate segregation of waste at source, and its scientific processing, which would reduce the quantity of garbage dumped at the Vendipalayam compost yard. He was responding to councillors’ concerns over alleged groundwater contamination around the yard and their demand for its relocation.At the council meeting, chaired by Mayor S. Nagarathinam, Ward 60 councillor K. Dhandapani said municipal solid waste had been dumped at the yard for over 60 years. Alleging that leachate had contaminated groundwater, turning it yellowish, he urged the Corporation to relocate the yard.Mr. Jain said the rules require waste to be segregated into wet, dry, sanitary and special-care categories. Wet waste would be processed through biomethanation, dry waste recycled, and sanitary waste disposed of scientifically. A bio-CNG plant sanctioned for the Corporation would convert organic waste into green energy, while clustering of waste-processing facilities would reduce the quantity of waste sent to the compost yard, he added.A councillor sought clarification on handling additional waste after the proposed merger of Lakkapuram and 46 Pudur panchayats with the Corporation next year. An official said the city generated around 250 tonnes of municipal solid waste a day and proposals had been submitted to procure additional vehicles for waste management.J. Saburama Minhaj (Ward 43), elected on a Congress ticket and who recently joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), opposed agenda items proposing an increase in underground drainage (UGD) user charges and drinking water charges and sought their withdrawal. She also questioned the progress in recovering dues from the 100 largest property tax defaulters. Councillors also sought an update on the special resolution passed earlier seeking a reduction in property tax.Mr. Jain said the World Bank-funded 24x7 drinking water supply project was being implemented on a pilot basis in six wards and the works were nearing completion. A council resolution was required to secure funds for extending the scheme to other wards, he said. Amid opposition from councillors, both agenda items were deferred.Councillors alleged that Corporation officials were ignoring the views of elected representatives and failing to implement council resolutions. DMK councillors claimed officials’ indifferent attitude had affected the party’s electoral prospects as issues raised by councillors remained unresolved.Referring to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s call for round-the-clock protected drinking water supply in all municipal Corporations, Zone I chairman B.K. Palanisamy (Ward 24) said residents currently received water only once every two to five days for one or two hours and questioned how the Corporation planned to provide 24x7 supply to all 60 wards. Mr. Jain said a detailed project report for extending the scheme to the remaining 54 wards was being prepared.The meeting also witnessed heated exchanges after DMK councillors criticised the renaming of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme as the Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme. Four councillors who had recently joined the TVK, along with Congress councillor E.P. Ravi, objected to the remarks. Published - July 29, 2026 07:20 pm IST
