Hyderabad: Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has asked the Centre to advise all states to introduce practical education on cleanliness, waste segregation and environmental responsibility for children from Class 1 onwards, on the lines of Japan.He also urged the Centre to extend financial support to states for implementing waste-to-energy, recycling and circular economy projects. In addition, he sought viability gap funding for the establishment of modern infrastructure and scientific waste-processing units in the sector.Speaking at a two-day national review meeting on ‘Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0’, inaugurated by Union minister for housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal Khattar at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday, Bhatti said the state govt was working towards building a sustainable, inclusive and environmentally responsible future in line with Telangana Vision–2047.The deputy CM said solid waste management was no longer limited to waste collection alone, but was directly linked to climate response, environmental sustainability, the circular economy, employment generation and economic productivity. He said the recently introduced Solid Waste Management Rules–2026 by the Central govt were bringing transformative changes to the country’s waste management ecosystem.“The Telangana govt is introducing around 9,596 electric Swachh autos in core urban regions. These electric vehicles will help reduce carbon emissions from municipal operations and promote cleaner transport systems. The vehicles are being designed with separate compartments to facilitate four-way source segregation and QR code-based monitoring for efficient door-to-door waste collection,” Bhatti said.He stated that scientific remediation of legacy dump yards was a major priority for the Telangana govt. In the case of the Jawaharnagar dump yard, technical assistance and advisory support were being obtained from IIT Bombay. The objective, he said, was not merely cosmetic intervention, but the creation of a long-term environmental management and continuous monitoring system.He also informed that around 22 lakh metric tonnes of waste spread across nearly 40 acres at the Autonagar dump site were being processed through biomining, with nearly 30% of the waste already processed. The reclaimed land, he said, would not be reused for dumping, but developed into parks, sports facilities and public infrastructure in future.“Our goal is to transform dump yards into development centres,” he said. Calling for a ‘War on Waste – Waste to Wealth’ approach, he said waste management should evolve beyond sanitation into a movement for economic value creation. Scientific segregation and processing of waste at source could transform waste into wealth, he added.
