Hubballi’s historic Unkal Lake has undergone a transformation, featuring a new 5-km walking track to enhance visitor experience – thanks to the project run by Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City (HDSCL) at a cost of Rs.388 million. Scheduled for inauguration after the Lok Sabha elections, the rejuvenated lake promises leisure and recreation opportunities for residents and tourists alike. Spread over 218 acres of land, the beautiful Unkal Lake is about 100 years old and is part of the Hubballi-Dharwad (Karnataka) Smart City Project. The area around the lake is well-developed with a nice garden and other recreational facilities that are available for children. There is a pavement in the park surrounding the lake that includes an existing 800-metre bund and a 570-metre walking track. Kolkata Municipal Corporation will pay people who deposit e-waste with civic body The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will start paying people who deposit their e-waste with the civic body. It is being planned to set up collection points in some parks. E-waste generated at home like mobile phones, electronic cables, wires and adaptors are usually sold to people in the unorganised sector who get exposed to toxic materials while handling such waste. The payment will be as per rates fixed by the West Bengal Electronic Industry Development Corporation (Webel) and set up points where e-waste will be collected is to be set up. Details like how to make payment, whether to use UPI payments or pay in the bank account of the depositor are being mulled. While only a few collection points will be fixed initially, the number of points will increase and spread across the city with time. The collection will be at intervals of a week. Contact: Kolkata Municipal Corporation Website: www.kmcgov.in Shredder to process horticultural waste in Panchkula Weeks after a fire broke out at a horticulture waste site in Phase-I, Panchkula Municipal Corporation (MC) has now installed a shredder machine to process waste. The machine will turn waste into manure and piles of horticulture waste will be processed soon. Panchkula MC purchased this machine at a cost of `1.2 million and the shredder has already started processing garbage. Officials said that the machine is capable of processing 25 tonnes of horticulture waste daily in comparison to 7 to 8 tonnes of horticulture waste collected by officials on a daily basis. After industrialists and local residents demanded shifting of the site, MC shifted horticulture waste site to Billa village, and also informed that fresh waste will be dumped at Billa only. Arunachal: 4.5 tonnes of waste removed from Yagamso river A collaborative effort by local NGOs and the Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation resulted in removal of 4,500 kg of waste from the Yagamso River’s Energy Park stretch in Arunachal Pradesh during a river cleanup drive. The participating organisations, Youth Mission for Clean River (YMCR) and Abralow Memorial Multipurpose Society, not only focused on cleaning the river but also planted saplings of Gulmohar and Nahar trees along the bank to prevent soil erosion. Itanagar Municipal Corporation Corporator Gyamar Taz said that the Yagamso was a pristine river and has unfortunately become heavily polluted. Contact: Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation Website: www.itanagarsmartcity.org Kerala's CIITI proposes Rs.3.1 million monthly income from waste The Centre for Innovation in Urban Transport and Infrastructure (CIITI) in Kerala has put forward a proposal to generate a monthly income of `3.1 million through waste management. This proposal highlights an innovative approach to create sustainable solutions in Kerala. The proposed plan encompasses various strategies and technologies to manage and recycle waste. If implemented successfully, it has the potential to not generate income and also contribute to the overall cleanliness and hygiene of Kerala's urban areas.