the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (rmc) has drawn up a Rs 1 crore plan for solid waste disposal. The proposal has been forwarded to the state government for obtaining necessary financial assistance. Both the municipal commissioner and his deputy said Rs 5 crore would be spent on collection and transportation of waste and the remaining amount would be used for the disposal site.

This system stresses on the use of mechanical power rather than human power. A new dumping site will be allocated since the present one at Sokhada is full. It will be obligatory to have scientific disposal of waste by 2002 and it would be up to the civic body to dispose off hospital wastes too. The rmc does not have the necessary expertise to tackle this. Under the new waste disposal proposal, around 600 dustbins will be changed. Sources at rmc said that out of 1,124 dustbins in the city, 600 could not be lifted mechanically into a truck. Hence, these dustbins had to be changed.