LIRC@SFIT

City college sets an example by recycling 100 kg waste daily Compost pits at Vivekanand Education Society campus. (Prashant Wayande) Six kilometers away from Deonar dumping ground, an educational institution has set an example for residents in the vicinity by sending zero waste to the landfill. The civic body has recognised two campuses of the Vivekanand Education Society (VES), Chembur, as the first educational institutions in the city to recycle wet, dry and electronic waste, which is part of its solid waste disposal programme under the guidance of United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The campuses, spread across four acres each, produce 100 kg wet and dry waste every day. Nearly 70 kg of biodegradable waste is segregated for composting, while the remaining 30 kg of dry waste is collected by NGO Shri Mukhti Sanghatna for recycling. “The dry waste from the VES campus is collected by a vehicle (not dumper trucks) provided by the municipal corporation, while the we...

Neighbourhood apps: The ‘Quora’ for local queries PRASHANT PITTI, founder, NearGroup Most of us are unaware of who lives in our neighbourhood and in times of need, we travel long distances without asking our neighbours ... We think these (neighbourhood apps) could be mother of all apps in the future NEW DELHI: Eight years in Indirapuram has made Rajiv Kaura, 47, an expert on the area. He can tell you who is a good doctor, where to get a new maid and which shops are better. And for the past few months he has been giving such advice to hundreds of people in his neighbourhood, not directly, but on his smartphone, through a neighbourhood network app. NearGroup, Omni, NearCircles are some options. “Most of the questions come from people who are new to the place”, Kaura says, “The issues range from advice on higher education to civic amenities.” Shilpa Abhilash, a ward councillor of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) gets more complaints through the smartphone tha...