A former cop shows a simple way to keep Delhi clean and green
TO COMBAT the menace of increasing
garbage, the residents of Vasant Kunj in
New Delhi decided to approach a cop.
That is exactly what Sukhbir Tanwar is,
a former policeperson who turns
garbage into manure. "I want Delhi to
be green," says the former sub-inspector
of the Central Reserve Police Force. To
this purpose, Tanwar founded the
Utthan Vahinee (UV), a group involved
in collecting garbage and disposing it in
the form of manure.
Collection of garbage and its proper
disposal has been a nagging problem for
residents of the city. But at least the
residents of Sector A, pocket B and C of
Vasant Kunj now inhale some fresh air,
thanks to UV.
A registered body under the
All India Harijan Utthan Sangh, UV
trains people to collect, transport
and dispose off garbage in an ecofriendly way. Initially a 10-member
team led by Tanwar worked a whole
week in Vasant Kunj for
collecting waste from the
houses and bylanes of the
colony at a cost of Rs 30 per
house per month.
The garbage was then
transported in a special
three-wheeler and unloaded in an unused land the Delhi Development
Authority, for which
Tanwar claims to have has
taken permission.
Recyclable materials
like polythene, plastics and
other non-biodegradable wastes are segregated and sold to a factory. The
biodegradable waste is kept in a pit with
different layers of garbage, super phosphate (a fertiliser) or salt and four inches
of soil. "It takes up to 90 days to form
manure which is later distributed
among people free of cost so that they
are encouraged to grow plants," says
Tanwar.
The idea of recycling garbage struck
Tanwar when plague hit the country.
"My aim is to make people aware of
their surrounding environment, says
Tanwar proudly. His venture has also
provided work to several unemployed
persons who are now earning Rs 1,500
per month.
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