Chandigarh MC’s waste reforms go awry, raise a stink

The City Beautiful has turned into a dump with the municipal corporation failing to streamline door-to-door garbage collection even two weeks after taking over control of the work from private hands as part of waste management reforms.

All that the civic body has managed so far is to deploy just 100 tractor-trailers to lift 350 tonnes of garbage generated by 2.5 lakh households in the city daily. HT visited several sectors, both in northern and southern parts of the city, and found that MC vehicles have not visited many areas for days now.

Madan Lal, general secretary of the Sector 42 residents welfare association (RWA), said that no MC vehicle has arrived in the sector to lift garbage since last Friday.

“Such a terrible situation can’t be allowed to linger on. The Chandigarh administrator must step in,” he said.

In the nearby Sector 44, there has been no garbage lifting since Monday. MS Sandhu, president of the RWA concerned, said the area has been stinking because of waste lying in the open for the past 48 hours. “Even the last time, just one tractor-trailer had come. How is it possible to collect garbage from all houses like this?”

Roadside garbage

Even as the MC had promised on Monday to depute additional vehicles to clear garbage lying on the roadside, nothing has changed on ground.

HT found as many as eight spots in Sector 37 and five in the neighbouring Sector 36 where garbage has piled up on the roadside. Even green belts have not been spared.

BS Multani, president of the Sector 37 RWA, said: “It’s a pity that the MC took over waste collection from private hands without a plan to streamline the system. How can it be so irresponsible?” Meanwhile, peripheral areas are the worst-affected. Garbage was seen spilling all over in Kajheri, Maloya, Manimajra and Mauli Jagran.

Waste segregation

Amid all this, the MC plans to implement segregation of waste from October 2. Households and commercial establishments are supposed to dispose of their wet and dry waste separately.

According to an estimate, the MC needs at least 250 twin bin tippers — four for each sector — to normalise waste collection. While the purchase will take two-three months, the MC has floated a tender to hire only 152 vehicles on temporary basis.

Baljinder Singh Bittu, president of the Federation of Sectors Welfare Associations of Chandigarh (FOSWAC), said residents are not in a position to segregate waste till the civic body streamlines its collection.

Congress councillor Devinder Babla, who is the leader of opposition, said the MC House should hand over waste collection back to private players till it arranges all resources. “The city can’t be held ransom to the MC’s poor planning. I will bring the agenda in the House meeting,” he said.

Problems aplenty

1. MC vehicles not covering every sector daily

2. Vehicles unable to reach each house

3. No fixed schedule to lift garbage

4. No prior intimation to RWAs

5. No help offered to people living on upper floors

6. Waste piling up on roadsides, in green belts

First Published: Sep 27, 2018 10:47 IST