Jammu, 24 November (H.S.): Senior BJP leader and former Jammu Mayor, Rajinder Sharma has shown serious concern over increase of about Rs seven to eight crore by Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) on garbage disposal for the year 2024-25 than previous year.

The former Mayor demanded a probe into the matter as how this increase in expenditure of garbage disposal has suddenly increased within a year.

Sharma during a visit to Kot Bhalwal garbage dumping site told reporters that money is being spend on dumpers and tippers without applying mind.

“In 2023-24, expenditure on garbage disposal was Rs. 5-6 crore which has now touched Rs. 13 crore,”, he said, adding: “In papers, total garbage of 350 metric tons is collected from Jammu daily but in reality it is only 300 metric tons;;, he added.

Sharma further informed that 60 tippers were engaged for garbage disposal in 2023-24 and every tipper used to make 2 trips to Kot Bhalwal dumping site daily to dispose the garbage but today same quantity of garbage is removed by 130 tippers and every tipper is only making a single trip to Kot Bhalwal. “Moreover if we have 130 tippers and dumpers then 26 vehicles must be unloaded in one hour as only five hours working is being done from 7 a: m to 12 noon daily,. We were on dumping site for more than two hours but we have not seen 52 tippers getting unloaded,

putting a question mark on functioning of the agency?.he added.

“I question the clause put in the tender for allowing the work of garbage collection to tippers that the vehicle will run only for 30 km daily and due to this it makes only one trip to Kot Bhalwal,” he said, adding that someone is really benefitting from all this.

Alleging this amount is going down the drain, he said “This is the money of Jammu people who give Rs. 100 as user charges per month for garbage collection, No Objection Certificates charges and fee for building permission,” he further said.

Sharma said that when whole of the JMC only got Rs. 24 crore capex money, the shifting of Rs. 7-8 crore in illegal hands is a matter of grave concern.

“I want to know this from the Chief Minister who is heading this Department and he should fix the responsibility and make people accountable for the same’’, he said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar