I have received a flood of e-mails, blog postings and letters this past week. A record number I should say.
All on the performance of Neel Metal, the private agency contracted by Chennai Corporation to clear garbage in four city zones.
And since we would like to encourage other voices to be heard, I felt I would take a back seat this week and present excerpts of some of the comments. More comments are welcome!
Vaishna Roy said - Neel Metal is making an awful hash of it. They are neither professional nor thorough. Only the bin is emptied - pavements, streets and gutters are left filled with leaves, blown-away paper and plastic bags. I remember the system of separating garbage had been started but that's all over now. If there is a movement against Neel Metal, I would like to be part of it.
An anonymous comment went - You are being generous to Neel Metal. They get only 1/10 in my book. The staff are rude and clean areas only near politicians' houses. Onyx was far better any day.
A resident of 6th Cross Street, CIT Colony writes - I would second the anonymous writer in awarding 1/10. Even after repeated phone calls to the Corporation office in the area and sometimes to the AC, the situation has not improved.
Another 'anonymous' comment - I fully endorse your views on Neel Metal and the pathetic show. It should be 0/10. The vast ground behind TTK Hospital (Indira Nagar) has become a dumping ground for Neel Metal. Something has to be done and urgently too, otherwise the whole of Indira Nagar would become one big garbage dump.
Another 'anonymous' comment - Neel Metal Fanalca is a miserable failure. Can we get Onyx back and dump Neel Metal?
Radha Gopalakrishnan of Kalakshetra Colony wrote in - I think you are being very generous in rating Neel Metal Fanalca 3 on a scale of 10. Please come to Kalakshetra Colony: you might revise your figures! We would give it a zero rating.
Months ago, Kalakshetra Colony Welfare Association organised a public meeting with N M F and the Chennai Corporation and invited residents of the Colony to come along and participate. It was clearly a sycophantic exercise.
Xavier Pillai of Kasturba Nagar, Adyar said - Bins in certain areas are emptied only on occasions and not at frequent intervals. Sufficient bins have not been provided. The sweepers appear on occasions - they sweep the garbage, pile it up and leave it there without collecting it!
Ramamani wrote to say - I live in CIT Colony and have been witness to their "good work" in keeping the city clean. It looks like Neel Metal's city is restricted to CIT Colony's First Main Road sector.
Neel Metal has not done its job.
T N Swaminathan of Sastri Nagar (Adyar) says - You have been generous in giving a score of 3/10. I would give them 0. Sastri Nagar streets are seldom swept. The question now is - what can we do beyond an audit to throw Neel Metal Fanalca out and get Onyx back? A signature campaign?
2 comments:
Dear Friends,
Mr Vincent has brought out into the realm of open debate the glaring inefficiency and incompetence of Neel Metal Fanalca, not merely in COMPARISON to ONYX, but even judged objectively, on stand alone basis.They have been going through only the motions of cleaning their designated areas in Adyar & Besant Nagar. One has only to look around the trash bins to see what is left behind, as compared to what is cleaned. However, I would not blame them, as the blame obviously lies with the Corporation authorities for unwisely awarding the tender to the lowest cost bidder without first ascertaining through an independent cost audit as to whether ONYX was justified in asking for an increase in rates, as also without going into the antecedents and competence of Neel Metal. What to talk of garbage, ONYX also found time to dispose of construction debris and cut branches- one has just to look at the heap of construction debris lying in the lane next to the Standard Chartered Bank building at Adyar Signal(ever since Neel Metal took over!) to know the facts.
While ONYX reportedly paid double the wages Neel Metal is paying, they also hired younger workers, both male and female. No wonder, in these days of rising costs, the workers dont work.
We are headed for an epidemic the next time there are floods, heavy rains.
Ravi Mani
Padmanabha Nagar
Adyar
I am glad that someone is taking up the crusade against Neel Metal. I live in Bishop gardens a very civic conscious area. For the first time in nearly 30 years of living here, I find garbage littering our colony.
The irony is even the bins in front of The Speakers house and M.K Stalin's house are over flowing. I have heard whispers of Neel Metal's connection with Ms. Kanimozhi. Maybe this is their way of advertising their impunity.
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