Door-to-door garbage collection vehicles at the MC store in Chandigarh. tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

Nearly three and a half years after launching the “segregation of waste at source” project, the MC will flag off two-bin vehicles to start the project afresh in the city tomorrow.

In June 2017, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VPSingh Badnore had launched the project on World Environment Day at Tagore Theatre in Sector 18, but the civic body failed to implement it. Two-coloured bins were distributed among residents by spending over Rs2 crore, but the segregation never took off. This has been affecting its Swachhta ranking every year.

However, buoyed by the hope of getting 390 vehicles by December 31 and claims of having convinced existing waste collectors, the authorities are giving it a shot again. The MC, it seems, is not much prepared even now as residents have not been made aware about the project properly.

Leader of the Opposition in the MC House Devinder Singh Babla said, “No resident in the city is aware about the garbage segregation. The MC has not made any efforts to make people understand how to go about it. I request the Mayor to first give all information to city residents about garbage segregation and adjust all collectors who have been lifting garbage from houses for the past so many years.”

In the first phase, 97 vehicles are being put to use in Sector 1 to 30. Though the project will be launched at the Raj Bhawan by Badnore at 11.30 am tomorrow, waste segregation and collection through these vehicles will start on Wednesday.

“Tomorrow, the vehicles will mainly be used for creating awareness. From Wednesday, the actual work will start. No mixed waste will be lifted. Vehicles will use jingles. Every vehicle will have a suggestion book. Residents call also complain on the MC’s helpline,” said an MC official.

All area councillors in Sector 1-30 will separately flag off vehicles at 1.30 pm tomorrow.

The Municipal Officer of Health, Dr Amrit Warring, said, “We are already making people aware about the move through newspapers and the radio. Tomorrow also, our vehicles will make people aware about it. We will take both collectors and residents along to implement 100 per cent segregation.”

97 vehicles to be used in first phase

In the first phase, 97 vehicles are being put to use in Sector 1 to 30. The project will be launched on Tuesday, but waste segregation and collection through the vehicles will start on Wednesday.