Stalemate over garbage collection ends in Yanam region of Puducherry

The days of standoff over the collection and disposal of household waste in the Yanam region of Puducherry have come to an end, with the private firm entrusted with garbage management in the enclave deciding to resume work from Friday (April 25, 2025), following initiatives by the district administration.

The days of standoff over the collection and disposal of household waste in the Yanam region of Puducherry have come to an end, with the private firm entrusted with garbage management in the enclave deciding to resume work from Friday (April 25, 2025), following initiatives by the district administration.

The private firm, HR Square, had stopped collecting garbage a few weeks ago, following a protest by a section of residents belonging to Gopal Nagar, the area notified by the Puducherry government to set up a Resource Recovery Park (RRP) and Sanitary Landfill site for proper disposal and processing of solid waste in the Yanam region.

On average per day, the region generated around 20 metric tonnes of solid waste, and after stopping the work around three weeks ago, the people of Yanam started dumping waste in public places. As waste started accumulating on arterial roads and in residential areas, the local legislator Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok (Independent) staged a protest in the Assembly two days ago accusing officials in Yanam administration of being apathetic to solving the issue. 

Following the protest, the government deputed Puducherry Collector A. Kulothungan to visit Yanam region for engaging all parties concerned to arrive at a solution. He visited the region on Friday and inspected the dumping sites. 

“The agency started removing the garbage from Friday itself. Around 80 tonnes of garbage was removed on the first day of resumption of work by the firm. We will clear the accumulated waste in a day or two. The firm has been directed to set up the RRP without any delay. We want them to complete the setting up of RRP and landfill in the next 20 days,” Mr. Kulothungan told The Hindu. 

Officials of Yanam administration said for almost 20 to 30 years, garbage generated in the region was dumped in Kanakalpeta village. After waste started piling up in the village, the government decided to set up a proper landfill as per Solid Waste Management rules at Gopal Nagar in Mettacur Revenue village

In 2023, the government issued an order transferring around 4 acres of land from the possession of Electricity Department to Local Administration Department for establishing the RRP and landfill at Gopal Nagar. Subsequently, the land was handed over to HR Square for garbage management in Yanam region.