Civic body to deploy its vehicles to lift garbage

Ludhiana: With garbage mess raising a stink, the municipal corporation plans to work in tandem with the waste management firm to give city a clean look.
Saying the private firm, A2Z Waste Management Limited, has failed to ensure proper waste lifting, mayor Balkar Sandhu has asked officials to deploy eight of 14 MC vehicles to clear secondary dumps that dot city roads and highways.

According to MC officials, the city generates 1,100 tonnes to 1,300 tonnes of garbage daily.

Sources said, “Recently, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) had attacked Congress candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu on the issue of garbage dumps on national highways. The MC move aims at placating the angry voices ahead of parliamentary elections.”

Last year, the mayor had refused to deploy MC vehicles, saying the firm had been hired for the task.

“The civic body also plans to purchase more vehicles to gradually take over waste management from the firm. After the parliamentary elections, the MC will decide on it as it will have to arrange funds too. Besides, it had signed a 25-year contract with A2Z Waste Management Limited in 2011,” sources added.

While confirming it, mayor Balkar Sandhu said, “Despite several warnings, the private company has failed to pull up its socks. Therefore, we are working on modalities to ensure cleanliness in the city. Initially, the MC will depute eight of its 14 vehicles to lift waste from secondary garbage dumps. The rest of the six vehicles will be on stand-by.” On MC taking over garbage lifting, the mayor said, “We will take a call on it after elections.”

The dumps on roads and national highway are a nightmare for commuters.

Harmandeep Singh, a resident of Jeevan Nagar, said, “With lifting not regular, garbage spills on to the roads, making driving difficult. Besides the foul smell it emanates, the waste attracts stray animals who often cause accidents.”