Ludhiana civic body heads for choppy waters as garbage-lifting company hands its notice

The company will continue to meet its obligations till February 4, after which the MC will be on its own

At a time when the municipal corporation (MC) is struggling to meet the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT’s) solid waste management mandates, the civic body has found itself facing another unexpected quandary with the A2Z company, which was responsible for lifting and processing waste in the city, serving its termination notice.

A civic body official said around 1,100 metric tonnes of garbage is generated in Ludhiana on a day-to-day basis.(HT File)

The company will continue to meet its obligations till February 4, after which the MC will be on its own. Come February, it will fall on the civic body to make alternate arrangements for door-to-door garbage collection for 30 of the city’s 95 wards, lift garbage from around 45 secondary dumping points and run the static compactors and the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant at the main dumping site.

The fallout

In August, the NGT’s monitoring committee directed the MC to submit a ₹10-lakh bank guarantee with the Punjab Pollution Control Board, which was to be encashed if the civic body failed to ensure door-to-door collection of waste and source segregation before November 30. The deadline has passed but the MC is yet to complete the projects. While the NGT is yet to take action against the civic body, the company’s decision has put the MC in hot water.

This may impact Swachh Survekshan 2021 rankings, as the Union ministry’s inspections may take place in the initial months of 2021.

However, at present, the civic body is not in a position to take up garbage lifting responsibilities. An MC official, on condition of anonymity, said, “On an average, around 1,100 metric tonnes of garbage is generated in the city on a day-to-day basis. The company has deployed over two dozen tippers for shifting the garbage from the secondary dumping sites to the main dump at Tajpur Road. However, the MC does not have the infrastructure to deal with solid waste and officials must think on their feet to find a solution to the predicament.”

Delayed payments forced company’s hand

Though the civic body has served multiple notices to the company for improper functioning, company officials said the MC too had failed to honour its part of the deal. A company official, who did not wish to be named, said, “One of the primary reasons for handing in the notice was the civic body’s delay in making monthly payments of around ₹1 crore, which is ‘tipping fee’ for transporting garbage to the main dump. No payments have been made since June.”

“The civic body also failed to arrange a buyer for RDF is generated at the plant. It was us to process the entire waste generated in the city and process RDF, despite the paucity of shortage space.

MC to explore legal options

MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said the civic body was looking into the legal aspects of the situation. “If required, the MC will take care of solid waste management in the city. Further action will be taken after discussing the issue with mayor Balkar Sandhu,” said Sabharwal.