Now, waste collection contractors to be paid based on performance

CHENNAI:Coming under flak for its inability to deal with allegations of corruption in garbage collection in the three zones where a private company is in charge, Greater Chennai corporation has now revised the criteria for payment to contractors and introduced key performance indicators.

“Earlier, the payment was based on the quantity of waste collected. But allegations had cropped up with contractors allegedly filling up trucks with construction debris. All this will change now, as we have introduced several criteria for payment,” said an official.

The civic body has called for tenders for eight zones in two packages. Thiruvottiyur, Manali, Tondiarpet and Ambattur will be handled by one contractor and Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur will be handled by another. “We will open the bids on December 24,” said corporation commissioner D Karthikeyan.

As per the revised rules, payment to the contractor will be based on primary collection, secondary collection and transport, street-sweeping and management information system. “We came up with these indicators after a company, IB Global, studied the solid waste management system and submitted a report,” said Karthikeyan.

The contractor will measure every type of waste — pre-segregated, unsegregated, market waste, waste from parks and playgrounds and hazardous waste. The quantity reaching the decentralised units should come down and the bins in the wards should not overflow; e-rickshaws and tricycles with proper compartments for wet, dry and hazardous waste should be used. “We have stressed more on the process than just on the quantity collected,” said an engineer in the solid waste management department.

Another major indicator is submission of periodic reports with details of manpower and infrastructure used. “All this will be checked at zonal level by officials before payments are made,” said deputy commissioner (health) P Madhusudhan Reddy.

Street sweeping, beach cleaning, deployment of bins, collection and transportation of de-silted waste, replacement of broken bins, washing of bins will also ll be assessed before payment is made.

Currently, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited manages waste collection in Adyar, Kodambakkam and Teynampet. “Their documents have not come up for renewal to us, yet,” said Karthikeyan.