Performance audit reveals serious irregularities in solid waste management in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service

Rajmeet Singh

Chandigarh, October 2

No wonder Ludhiana has slipped to 40th spot against 39th in the previous year in the Centre’s annual cleanliness survey, ‘Swachh Survekshan 2022’, released on Saturday.

A performance audit of the Swachh Bharat Mission in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation from 2015-2016 to 2021-2022, done by the Institute of Public Auditors, North West chapter, Chandigarh, has revealed serious irregularities in the management of municipal solid waste.

Though the audit was ordered by former Local Bodies Minister Brahm Mohindra after ranking of Ludhiana slipped in the national cleanliness survey, the report was submitted after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government took over.

As per the report, a random checking of records revealed that 31,172.318 tonnes of the municipal solid waste (MSW) was transported in two-wheelers, cars, earth movers and unregistered vehicles in 2,874 cases. The scope of investigation increased as tipping charges for transportation of the MSW to the processing/disposal facilities increased when cases of non-existing vehicles were included.

Interestingly, the audit found that in 14 cases the tipping fee for unloading the MSW was claimed within 10 minutes of the previous trip. In three cases, the tipping fee was claimed for another trip before the vehicle left the dumping area. In one case, the time of the first and second trip to transport the MSW was the same.

While verifying the tipping fee for two randomly selected days out of 10 years of the tipping fee claims, it was observed that around 39 per cent claims relating to transportation of 874.525 Tonnes of MSW with tipping fee of Rs 3.05 lakh appears to be doubtful out of 2217.239 tonnes of MSW transported with tipping fee of Rs 7.73 lakh. The MSW was transported though vehicles no registered with Punjab or without valid permits, expired registration and fitness certificates or vehicles with less carrying capacity.

Civic body lost Rs 12.15 crore tipping fee

The contractor was to be paid base tipping fee at the rate of Rs 395 per tonne. It was to be reduced by Rs 35 per tonne after achievement of commercial operation of processing and disposal facilities. But due to non-completion of the processing and disposal facilities, the MC lost tipping fee amounting to Rs 12.15 crore for handling MSW.

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