HUDCO Award to SURYAPET Municipality

Suryapet Municipality has won the HUDCO Award under environmental management category. The following are the areas of the work submitted for the award • Tree plantation • Lake water conservation • Solid Waste management • Energy saving • Kitchen gardens • Herbal park • Solar energy. On 25-04-2012 Sri.B.Srinivas, Commissioner, Suryapet Municipality has received the award, appreciation, one lakh cheque from the auspicious hands of Kum.shelja, Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Sri.A.K.Mishra,secretary, HUPA and Sri.Baligar,CMD,HUDCO were also present in the function. (The details are already existing in the form of posts.The interested persons can read the posts for comprehensive knowledge.)

Adoption of hostels by Suryapet Municipality

Aim: To adopt the hostels in the suryapet town for the overall development of hostels by arranging the tuitions through the retired but not tired teachers and other interested persons, providing library books, arranging deficit infrastructure of water, toilets, and lights, fans through the philanthropic persons. Also providing the medical facilities at low cost or no cost and training those in yoga and ayurveda.To grow the medicinal and nutritional plants in the premises of hostels.
Basis: The Commissioner and director of Municipal Administration and District Collector envisage adopting the hostels and working for the development of hostels through the retired but not tired persons.

Expected outcomes:

To provide better facilities to the students staying in hostels.
• To reduce the dropout students.
• To increase the literacy levels in the neglected classes.
• To increase caring feeling in children.
• To increase the number of children in the hostels.
• To train the brains of the students in a better way.
• To provide useful community work for retired but not tired people.
• To inculcate knowledge about great people and leaders of India and India.
• To bring down the disparities among the people.
• To provide opportunities to the people who want to serve.
• To bring down the anemia in students.

Activity: Contacted the old age association and Retired employees association. The willingness of Municipality to adopt the all the hostels in the suryapet town on the auspicious day of Birthday of Babu Jagjeevanram is declared. On the same day, a meeting is convened involving above two associations, IMA,Hostel Welfare Officers, Asst. B.C. Welfare Officer, Assistant Social Welfare Officer, Municipal staff, and N.G.Os.

On the birthday of phule, books, fans are donated to the hostels duly collecting from the Vasavi club, Municipal employees union, Mother Theresa B.Ed college. On the birthday of Ambedkar, some philanthropists have declared gifts of water filters. Many more works have to be taken up in future.

Lessons learnt:
• Many numbers of people have to be involved for better results.
• To delegate hostels to Municipal staff.
• Many people exist to help out poor in society, but they are not or poorly explored.
• This work is not a burden but to be viewed as service to poor.

Can we make suryapet a solar city?

Already suryapet municipality has initiated energy saving initiatives in the street lighting, watersupply ,etc. The same is elucidated in the blog with a caption of energy saving.Some initiatives are also taken in private sector also.

Exemplary initiatives taken in energy conservation /renewable energy by the private sector:

1. Suryapet Municipality initiated a programme by encouraging each employee to purchase one solar light.

2. Municipal Commissioner convinced one private Junior College and Sudhakar P.V.C. Company to replace the existing lighting systems with L E Ds and succeeded in implementing the same by them.
3. Solar LED/ CFL inverters were installed in (16) houses including staff houses. The Bankers were requested to arrange loans for the same, steps are taken to schedule the loan re-payment at affordable level and EMI fixed is almost equal to the saving.
4. 15 Solar lanterns were supplied to poor people through NED CAP, on subsidy.
5. 2000 Solar lanterns were supplied to staff of other departments & people in the town.
6. 66 solar lanterns were supplied to staff of Suryapet Municipality.
7. 500 solar fans were supplied in Suryapet town.
8. One electrical shop has come forward to sell the solar inverters by having tie up with local Bank for soft loan and subsidy through NABARD..


Responsibilities:

Municipality has enough expertise in solar energy. The head of town planning wing is responsible for installing solar utilities in all the new buildings. Sanitary Inspector is responsible for installing solar utilities in commercial establishments. Municipal Engineer is responsible for implementing the project and installation in office, water works, etc.

The town presidents of all parties would be members of local expert group. The hon’ble M.L.A. would chair the expert group.

Application:

Suryapet municipality wants to apply for the solar city programme. As a part of that municipality has to ensure certain conditions, such as following the Solid Waste Management Rules, Rain water harvesting, etc.The same is being followed already.

Political willingness

On 24-03-2012 an all party meeting is convened by the special Officer sri.G.P.Neelakantam, where in all the parties have expressed the willingness to encouraged the programme.Hon’ble M.L.A has recommended for implementation of the programme.

Administrative willingness

The staff has shown their willingness to participate in the programme.All of them including the commissioner and special officer sir has also realized the importance of involving many people.The district collector sir has also agreed orally for the proposal.

Subsidies

Presently the subsidies are available .NABARD is offering subsidies @36% and beneficiary contribution is 14% and rest of the 50% would be the loan.Presently solar inverters are being supplied by the Andromeda company.The EMI payment for the purchase of 30000 rupees inverter is only 250 rupees and interest @6% per annum.
Bankers’ willingness
The need of implementing the scheme is explained to the Bankers during the Town Level Banker’s Committee meeting. Consequently, APGVB has grounded 16 solar inverters. Their cooperation is tremendous. The manager has also agreed to ground not less than 1000 units in the next one year. Other managers are also on the way to do the same.

Participation of companies

Some companies are already expressed the willingness to participate in the solar city programme.The are ready to express their willingness for deployment of additional staff for the purpose of motivation, execution, installation and servicing.

IEC

Information, Education and Communication is the key point in achieving the desired results. The same would be done by both companies and Suryapet Municipality. The pamphlets, wall paintings, press clippings, city cable scrolling would be done.

Conclusion

There is every possibility of achieving the targets of solar city in short duration, as there is large scale willingness in every corner in the town. In addition to this, it is in implementation in short scale. Hence, it is now the responsibility of the people under guidance of suryapet municipality, a complete environmental town by implementing solar city programme.

Herbal Park initiative

Aims:

• • To make the medicinal plants available to people, there by low cost and alternative health measures are in place.
• Awareness in the people should be created on Indian traditional medicine.
• To increase the greenery, as medicinal plants increases the ownership.
• To use the indigenous plants in the parks replacing the foreign and vicious plants.
• To establish the nurseries involving the poor women and generating employment for them.
• Park should create the heeling effect in addition to aesthetic value.
• To create model for emulation in all the Urban Local Bodies.

Activity:

Initially the compound wall of the Indira Park is restored under the Parks and Playgrounds scheme. The walking paths are also established. The earlier crotan plants are removed. It is aimed to have a herbal park .The plants are collected in the following way:
Addasaram and shatavari plants are provided by sri.Suresh Jakotia, an ayurvedic doctor hailing from kodad. The rest of the plants are taken from the compost yard of suryapet municipality.
The following saplings are planted.
Addasaram (400 plants), lemon gross (100 plants), Alovera, Shatavari, Alastonia, Ranapala (50 plants), Pipal, Neem, Tulasi, almond, oma(vamu) Nalleru (quadrus rectangulus), Usiri (5 plants), mehandi (100 plants),vavili,etc.

At later stages,new plants are brought from the Nalgonda territorial nursery and social forestry and planted are as follows:
Territorial-Jeedi,teni, arjuna.
Social forestry- red sanders, maredu,bamboo.

The plants that are brought from the K.v.k.gaddipalli are as follows:
Kolias, Machipatri, vasa, dumparastram,turmeric,etc.

On 24th October, 2011, one block is filled with rose and all the following flowering plants in other block, which also have medicinal values, are as follows:

Hibiscus (2 varieties), satyanarayana plant(2 varieties),chemanthi(3 varieties),night queen, malle,krisna tulasi, devakanchanam, small amla. One small block of guntagaragara is also planted on the same day. After the above plantation, the rain has visited the suryapet as usual, which increased the sustainability opportunities of plants.

Again sri.Suresh Jakotia has come to rescue and sent more than 15 varieties of seeds to take up plantation. They are as follows:
chitrakamulam, nilaxani, single seed garlic(Kashmir variety), madhavilatha, dhathura,ashwagandha, ramaphalam,guriginja, vruddhadharu, bixia(hanuman sindhuri), Jammi.

The nutritional plants such as curry leaves, drumstick, almond, jamun, and guava are also planted.

In the later stages, training is conducted to poor women in propagation of medicinal plants and preparation of traditional medicines, so as to bring awareness in Ayurveda with the help of Aurabindo training centre, Gaddipally. The school children are also invited to have a look at it and emulate the same in their back yard. Some plants are distributed for propagation to the interested. In the recent past, the wet waste generated out of it is converting in to the vermin compost in the same park in a de-centralized way.

Specialties:

• The crotans are thoroughly removed and replaced with addasaram.
• It would be filled with all the herbal plants in future also.
• The propagation of the most of the plants is very easy, there by cause increment in greenery.
• Neem and papal are planted jointly as both together will give healing air, with maximum quantity of oxygen.
• In addition to this, the old plants were also protected or relocated.Those are as follows:
Thippa tega, ratnapur plant, shankapushpi,parijatham, sampenga, avise.

Outcomes:
• Many people from other places are also visiting to know and have some plants.
• It increased the greenery in town.
• It imparted the knowledge of alternate medicine amongst poor.
• Bio-diversity is upkeep.
• It exhibited that ayurvedic plants can be used as ornamental plants.
• News papers expressed it as model for emulation.

Pro-poor policies in water supply

Aim: The poor shall not suffer with spiraling price rises. He is the priority of the Government. His needs should be catered in the Urban Planning and governance.

Activity: The tap connections were given to poor people on low cost (donations), which were higher earlier and modified as per the instructions of the Government. The connections given @1200 are 2474 in number. The connections given @200 are 2799 in number. Giving the connections to poor is taken up in true spirit.

All the slum areas are connected with the water supply pipe lines. The duration of supply of water is on par with the non-slum areas.The construction of tanks are also taken near to the poor localities.

Government has instructed to run the water supply on no loss and no profit basis. The tariff has to be increased. But poor cannot bare much burden. Hence, only 20 rupees per month is increased from 60 Rupees. Where as tariff for poor is 100 rupees per month.

For the benefit of poor, single day disposal of tap connections are initiated in Indiramma colony. From the clerk to commissioner and chairperson was sitting on the same table and disposing the applications accordingly on the same day in the locality of the beneficiaries.

Three days earlier to the programme, an IEC campaign was conducted with the help of local plumbers to submit the applications of the residents. The Building license surveyors are also summoned to sketch the drawings expeditiously and without expecting much from the poor people. This made the things easier for all the poor people in accommodating in the new colony. They need pray or beg or represent from table to table at least for 15 days, which is prescribed under the citizen charter.



Outcomes:

• Quality water is available to poor on low cost. Otherwise, the expenditure on purchase of water would go up.
• It also ensures the health of the poor, as water is source of many ill- healths.
• The saved money can be spent on other activities such as education, nutrition, etc.
• It has over all impact on the quality life of poor.

One shot many birds

Background: What would cater the nutritional needs of the poor people perennially? It is the question raised by commissioner after implementing the kitchen gardens, consequent to spiraling price rise of vegetables. Many people are not able to eat two curries a day. The hybrid seeds are short lived, giving a lot of gap in between. Also the seeds can not be gifted continuously. Which plant give more yield and

Similarly, How to decrease the plastic material in the hotels and Tiffin centers? How to decrease the cost of leaflets to increase the consumption? How to stop the transportation to some extent of them from far off places?

How to protect the environment by adding economic value to plants? How to enthuse the poor people to participate in the environmental protection activities? How to generate income in selling the seedlings easily? Where the propagation of seedlings is easier and faster?

How to stop the water logging in the areas like suryapet, where more tanks are exists in the town?

All the above questions are answered with a single plant that is Banana (curry variety).

Sponsors: Once again the “Council for Green Revolution” has come to the rescue of Suryapet Municipality and provided 2000 Banana plants, in addition to 1000 other nutritional and ornamental plants. These plants were brought from Kadium Nursery. The transportation is provided once again by Meela satyanarayana, ex-chairperson, suryapet Municipality.

Activity: The poor areas are selected, so as distribute the plants in clusters such as Indiramma colony, B.V.Colony,sainikpuri,etc. This enables to cut down leafs to supply them to the intended hotels, etc. In the selection process, the water logging areas and areas around the tanks are also given priority. The areas around the hotels are also given the priority to easy transport. Some philanthropic persons and organizations are also given banana plants, so as to supply the seedlings easily.

Superstition: There were myths among the people that whether banana plant can be had in front of the house as it is told to be harmful by elders. Commissioner has to explain that he has banana plants in his house and nothing has happened. Some people have their homes in banana farms and they are becoming millionaires. Many people use banana plants in every day prayer. If nothing is happened to them, nothing would happen to us also.

Expected outcomes:

• Consumption of plastic would go down with the easily available banana leafs locally.
• The pollution of transportation of leaves would be also go down from far off places.
• Environment is protected with more number of plant populations.
• It would continuously increase the greenery in surrounding areas.
• Mosquito population would go down with decrease in water logging.
• It would provide additional curry for many poor with low cost and it would show impact on prices of vegetables.
• Nutritional levels of many poor would be increased.

Initiative of Kitchen gardens in Suryapet Municipality

When you are starting a work, think whether it bring happiness in the face of poor.
******* Mahatma Gandhi

Back Ground: In olden days every household use to grow vegetable in their backyard. Due to urbanization, the situation has been changed a lot. Even though there is ample choice to grow the vegetable plants, people do not prefer to grow vegetables for various reasons.

The spiraling price rise of vegetable due to extended rains in the December, 2010 has made the some of the vegetables Rupees 50 per kilogram. It was expected that it would reach 80 Rupees per kilogram during the summer. It would increase the poverty in terms of nutritional intake, as every urban person has to take 2100 kilo calories per a day.

During the oral inquiry in meetings, Self Help Group members in November, 2009, 10% to 20% use to answer that they are taking 2 curries in a day in meals. In January, 2011 the situation is entirely different and middle class has also shifted to single curry in a day. Already 47% Indians are suffering from the Anemia, though the poverty stood at about 30%.If the same situation of low vegetable intake continues, the Anemia rate goes up. It would raise all the deceases and particularly I.M.R and M.M.R.

For the sustainable towns, the production from that town should be 25%, from surrounding areas 50% and 25% shall be imported from long distances. But the situation in most of the urban areas including the Suryapet is altogether different. Not even 10% is produced in the town, only 25% comes from surrounding areas, remaining has to be imported from much distance. This is causing heavy transportation charges and many mediators. Thus, it is cause of spiraling prices and pollution.

Suryapet municipality has planted about 60,000 plants in last 14 months, including 13000 nutritional plants and 15,000 medicinal plants.

After rainy season, Suryapet Municipality has to take up medicinal plants. In continuation to the efforts and to make the town greener, it is to take up Kitchen garden, to make it an integrated activity and for the benefit of the town people.


Choosing the vegetables:

The meeting of horticulture officer, seed distributor and core staff is convened to select the vegetables to be propagated. Basing on the advantages of process, yield, nutritional value, suitability, etc., the following is chosen:
The climbers use to give more yields. Hence, 3) climbers namely gourd, bitter gourd, and beera are chosen. The gourd has ability to decrease the obesity by acting on the fat and by decreasing the hunger. The calorific value of the vegetable is also less.

The bitter gourd has many medicinal values including the prevention and mitigation of diabetes.The beera has very good
In order to increase Iron content amongst the poor one leafy vegetable by name (thota koora in telugu) is selected.

There is no need of much pain in sowing or we need much space, we can directly plants the seeds and tie a wire or rope to reach the climbers on to the top of their house. The requirement of space to propagate the climbers is only 3 sq. yds only.

Sustainability of Bitter gourd is for about one year and thota koora is for more than 2 years.The hybrid variety of seeds is chosen and average yield starting period is 6 weeks.


Mobilization strategy:

Meeting of SLF leaders are convened and discussed in elaborate about nutritional deficiency and spiraling price rise. The only remedy is only kitchen gardens. It was also informed that Govt. or municipality would be providing seed kits at 50 % subsidy.
Consequently, the meeting of Resource persons is also convened to motivate them to work as anchor persons. All the concepts are elucidated. It was ensured that some how the seed kits would be made available at 10/- only
Subsequently, the joint meeting of staff and seed distributors is convened. The price of seed kit is fixed at 20/- and it shall be supplied to the poor at 10/- either by collecting the subsidy from the philanthropists or drawing it from the Govt. 5 Grs. Each of 4 varieties of seeds would be provided and one variety of leafy vegetable would be 50 Grs. The staff is imparted the concept and importance of Kitchen gardens to the poor. It was also requested to make the initiative success.The total initial requirement is fixed at 5,000 kits. The total amount required for seed kits is Rs. 50,000/-

To enhance, more subsidies to people, philanthropic persons, NGOs, unions are also invited and requested for their contribution in men and material for implementation and supervision. Municipality has also resolved to supply the Vermi compost at 50% subsidy to these vegetable growers.


Activity:

There is presence of ward officers in Suryapet municipality. The responsibility of heading the task would be given to these officers, starting from motivating to take up the kitchen gardens to disbursement of seeds and bio-fertilizer. The resource person is the real head to head the project. She motivates the poor SHG Women and elucidates the advantages of the kitchen gardens to take it up.She also monitors the process of rearing.



The total town and activity areas would be divided in to 50 clusters consisting of 100 houses for the administrative convenience. The responsibility is given to concerned person for all the activities.


Advantage of Kitchen Gardens:

1. Improves the income and reduce the poverty of poor house holds.
2. Fresh and nutritious food is available and improves health. It also reduces the load on the fridges, as there is no need of storing the vegetables.
3. Climbers provide cool atmosphere in the house and reduces energy charges.
4. If every body takes up vegetable plantation, more food is produced and food is assured making it easily available and cheaper.
5. It also contributes to curtailing the Global Warming.
6. Fresh air would be available in surroundings.
7. Leafy vegetables can solve the problem of anemia and other nutritional problems.
8. Water harvesting use to take place and all the advantages of Greenery also realize with it.
9. Kitchen Gardens have a greater say in increasing per-capita income, average life expectancy. It decreases Infant Mortality, Mother Mortality Rate and improves health indices.
10. Other poor people can be provided food from excessive produce and it paves way for dependent life, which gives immense pleasure.
11. Need not go out side to buy the vegetables and it saves the valuable time and fuel.


.Achieving Millennium Development Goals

• Reduce the poverty and hunger of poor house holds.
• Improves the income and reduce the ill health, there by contribute for the primary education of poor people.
• As the women under the network of SHGs grow the kitchen gardens and they have greater say in the home and they are empowered.
• As the availability of nutritious food increases to women and children, the IMR and MMR reduce.
• Similar with maternal health.
• As the nutrition increases, the immunity power also increases.