Civic body floats tenders to hire firm for waste collection

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 8

Finally, the Municipal Corporation has started the process to hire a new firm for the collection and transportation of waste from secondary collection points to the processing plant at the main garbage dump site in Jamalpur near Kakka village. The civic body has also floated tenders for the same.

The successful firm will have to ensure the collection of segregated waste from 43 designated secondary collection points to the waste processing plant. The technical bids will be opened on May 20.

Notably, the MC’s waste processing plant is not functional. At present, the task of garbage collection and transport is being carried out by a private firm on a temporary basis that was earlier working for the A2Z group. The questions were earlier raised by the opposition parties as to why the civic body is not hiring a new firm.

The MC, however, is yet to take the necessary steps to resume the functioning of the waste processing plant.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said, “The tenders have been floated to hire a new firm for collection and transport of segregated waste from the secondary collection points in the city to the waste processing plant. We will soon float tenders to hire a firm to run the waste processing plant also.”

Around 1100 MT solid waste is generated daily in 95 wards of the city. The residents are demanding from the civic body to remove the open garbage dumps located in residential areas or near markets in the city.

As the huge heaps of old waste which look like mountains have come up at the main garbage dump/landfill site near Kakka village, the residents of nearby areas are also suffering a lot. “We are forced to suffer due to foul smell emanating from the waste at the main garbage dump. The issue must be resolved on a priority basis as thousands of people living in the areas near the main dump are a harried lot,” said a resident of Kakka village.