As the municipal corporation makes yet another attempt to start door-to-door collection of segregated waste in Chandigarh from Wednesday, it has decided not to impose any fine on defaulters for now.
“We will not immediately start imposing fine on people for not segregating wet and dry waste. Initially, our aim is to involve them in the initiative and make them participate of their own volition,” said MC commissioner KK Yadav. “After some time, after assessing the situation and citizens’ participation level, we will decide on imposing fines.”
The MC had fixed ₹200 fine for each violation in residential units. In commercial areas, it varies from ₹2,000 to ₹10,000, depending upon the category of the unit.
As some resident bodies complained that they came to know about the MC’s plan only through media reports and there was no public notice, Yadav said: “Mass media campaign will start on radio and newspapers to spread awareness. Also, councillors and resident welfare associations will be involved in waste segregation at source.”
The MC also plans to conduct workshops for garbage collectors. “Among other things, the distinction between dry and wet waste will be made clearer in these awareness campaigns and workshops,” said the MC chief.
{{/usCountry}}The MC also plans to conduct workshops for garbage collectors. “Among other things, the distinction between dry and wet waste will be made clearer in these awareness campaigns and workshops,” said the MC chief.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, in a letter to mayor Raj Bala Malik, Congress leader Devinder Singh Babla complained that residents were not aware about the garbage segregation plan and there had been no efforts made by the corporation too.
Badnore to flag off new vehicles
After failing to make much headway in the past three years, the MC will start door-to-door collection of segregated waste in Sectors 1-30 on Wednesday. Other areas will be covered in a phased manner in the next couple of weeks.
This time around, the MC will be using more than 490 twin-bin garbage collection vehicles. While it already has 100 such vehicles, it has purchased 390 more. Of these, 100 have already been received and will be flagged off by UT administrator VP Singh Badnore on Tuesday. These vehicles will then drive around the city creating awareness about the project.
From January 1, the MC plans to cover remaining sectors and colonies, while the final phase will be launched in Manimajra on January 7. The new system will take off ahead of the upcoming Swachh Survekshan. The MC’s failure to implement it has been a key reason for the city faring poorly in the rankings in the past couple of years.