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Chandigarh MC commissioner assures garbage collection policy will be revamped
At a meeting with FOSWAC, the Chandigarh MC commissioner says the city cannot be held ransom by a few garbage collectors, so the system will be fixed
Taking a stern view of issues surrounding garbage collection in the city, municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Anindita Mitra on Saturday said they will revamp its policy even if there is opposition.
Following complaints about irregularities in the collection of waste by garbage collectors, Mitra assured members of the Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) that the MC will re-examine the garbage collection policy to solve people’s grievances and to beautify the city.
Mayor Sarabjit Kaur was also present at the meeting
“The policy requires a complete review and a thorough inspection. We may take harsh steps which may not be agreeable to all, but we will revamp the policy,” Mitra said.
She said that the MC will look into the functioning of garbage collectors.
“The city cannot be held ransom by a few garbage collectors. There may be opposition and the city may also get affected for a couple of days, but it is necessary to fix the system,” she said.
The new vehicle-based garbage collection system was started in the city in December 2020. Earlier started from Sectors 1-30, it was extended to the southern sectors later in 2021. Residents have been routinely complaining about irregularities in the service and also that the garbage collectors don’t go to the second and third floors of houses to collect the waste.
The MC medical officer of health, Dr Amrit Pal Singh Warring, was also removed from the post in November 2021 over the city’s poor show in the Swacch Survekshan rankings.
Mitra said that the re-examining of the policy will be done after the Swachh Survekshan survey gets over as they don’t want to affect the working of garbage collectors till then.
Mitra also assured the residents of redeployment of safai karamcharis.
“The redeployment of safai karamcharis needs to be done in a rational way which I will personally do,” she said.
Responding to garbage pileups in various parts of Sector 33, she said, “we will not only get this cleared up, but the mayor and I will start visiting every sector after Holi to check the problems. We will visit these sites on foot and the concerned officials and RWAs will also be informed. We will start first with the southern sectors.”
Mitra also asked the residents to not be needlessly critical of the MC while providing feedback for the Swachhta survey.
While many RWAs complained about the MC not following up their complaints, Mitra assured them that she will make a special cell to deal with the problems raised by the various resident and market associations of the city and at least follow them up via email.
