Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday launched a solid waste management project to be carried out by Urbaser SA and Sumeet Facilities in seven zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
During the occasion, he flagged off vehicles that would be used for cleaning the streets, collecting waste from houses, segregating solid waste and depositing the waste in dumpyards.
In a press release, the GCC said the private player would undertake solid waste management in Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Adyar, Perungudi and Sholinganallur zones.
Urbaser SA and Sumeet Facilities bagged the contract for waste management in the seven zones, containing 86 divisions, for eight years at a cost of ₹447 crore per year.
The private agency would deploy 92 compactors, 21 mechanical sweepers and 1,931 e-rickshaws for door-to-door household waste collection.
To facilitate the process, over 8,870 garbage bins would be installed in various streets, and a total of 6,274 workers would be involved in cleaning operations in the seven zones.
The Greater Chennai Corporation has gone for privatisation of the solid waste management project by clearing bills through the Performance Based Cost of Delivery Model, against the normal practice of paying bills based on the quantity of waste removed.
The civic body has appointed third-party advisers to monitor the work, and would also keep tabs on the various waste segregation works that have been specified in the key performance indicators.
Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani and Minister for Personnel and Administrative Reforms D. Jayakumar participated in Wednesday’s event.
Senior officials of the GCC, including Commissioner G. Prakash, took part in the inaugural event on Island Grounds.