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Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 14
In its endeavour to implement the waste segregation project effectively and to make the city bin-free, the Municipal Corporation House today approved to bring door-to-door waste collectors under its control.
Even as its implementation remains a huge challenge in view of resistance from the waste collectors’ union, the civic body has decided to hire 1,447 collectors through outsourcing on DC rates, providing them PF and medical facilities.
According to the MC’s ambitious plan, it will buy 39 twin bin hopper tippers, recruit 39 drivers and 39 helpers. One twin bin hopper tipper will cover about 1,000 houses. Under the bin-free city plan, the waste collected by the staff will directly be taken in the tippers to the garbage processing plant at Dadu Majra.
At present, the waste is taken in cycle carts to 38 Sehaj Safai Kendras (SSKs) in different sectors, which gives a shabby look and creates unhygienic conditions. The SSKs will be converted into material recovery centres where only dry waste such as bottles and plastic will be segregated. The MC will earn revenue from it.
City generates 450 tonnes of waste everyday
The city generates around 450 metric tonnes of waste every day. Of this, 120 metric tonnes is horticulture waste, which will be put in compost pits in parks to make compost. In 70 parks, compost pits have already been made and 400 parks will have provision for it soon. While 220 metric tonnes is recyclable waste, the remaining 100 metric tonnes is wet waste and will go to the garbage processing plant.
Eight firms have shown interest in processing the accumulated waste at the plant.
MC Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav, said, “For implementing the segregation project and making the city bin-free, we are going to adjust all 1,447 collectors in the MC system. They will be MC employees. It will save them from exploitation.”
Door-to-door collectors to continue protest
Rejecting the MC offer, the waste collectors’ union said it would continue to hold strike and would not lift waste from households.
For the past three days, waste has not been lifted from most households due to the ongoing protest. While the MC said its survey had found a total of 1,447 collectors and 1,008 rehris were registered with it, the union differed with the figures.
“We are around 5,000 collectors in the city and the MC claims it will provide job to a few of us. We have been operating like this since the beginning and do not want to come under the MC or any other company. We will continue with our strike until our demands are met,” said Naresh Kumar Loth, vice-president, Door-to-door Waste Collectors’ Union. The union today burnt an effigy of the Mayor and the Commissioner outside the MC office where they are sitting in protest.
Waste collection charges in water bill
In its survey, the MC found that there are 38,568 households which are not under door-to-door collection. All of them will be covered now. The corporation will soon start adding the waste collection charges to the water bill of all city residents. By way of the waste collection, the MC will collect a whopping Rs 30 crore a year. Officials said Rs 27 crore would be the total expenditure, including the cost of the vehicles, in the first year. In the second year, it would only have an expenditure of Rs 15 crore.
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