Karti Chidambaram Questions Chennai’s Study Tour on Waste Management
Chennai: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram stirred debate on Tuesday by advising the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to learn from Indore’s waste management practices instead of planning study tours to Europe.
Calls for Practical Solutions Instead of Foreign Study Tours
Responding to a report about GCC officials planning a visit to European cities like Barcelona in May to study waste management techniques, Karti Chidambaram questioned the effectiveness of such tours. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “Can the @chennaicorp name one learning & implementation of a practice from any of the previous study tours? Poor garbage management, street dogs & cattle, broken sidewalks & potholed roads are the hallmarks of Chennai. Visit Indore to start with.”
Indore’s Success in Waste Management
Indore, which has consistently been recognized as India’s Cleanest City for seven consecutive years under the Swachh Survekshan rankings, serves as a benchmark in urban waste management. In contrast, Chennai ranked 199 among 446 cities in 2023 and has never secured a spot in the top 10 since the survey’s inception. The city scored:
- 12% in waste processing
- 21% in dump yard remediation
- 77% in toilet cleanliness
- 50% in open defecation control
Political Reactions and BJP’s Response
Karti Chidambaram’s remark came at a time when the ruling DMK-Congress alliance in Tamil Nadu remains at odds with the BJP-led central government on various issues. BJP spokesperson C R Kesavan responded by saying, “Another Congress MP commending and lauding PM Narendra Modi ji ki guarantee,” referring to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s earlier praise of Modi’s foreign policy.
The Need for Better Waste Management in Chennai
The official X handle of Namma Chennai stated that the World Bank will support GCC’s visit to study waste management models in cities like Barcelona. However, amid growing protests over local dump yards, many believe that adopting proven solutions from within India, such as Indore’s approach, would be more effective.
