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Chandigarh MC inches towards pan-city garbage collection
The Chandigarh municipal corporation on Monday inched closer to taking over door-to-door garbage collection across the city with its General House approving terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed with the cart-based waste lifters
The Chandigarh municipal corporation on Monday inched closer to taking over door-to-door garbage collection across the city with its General House approving terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed with the cart-based waste lifters.
The Door to Door Garbage Collector Society, which represents majority of this unorganised sector in the city, had last week given its consent to the MoU.
Most demands of the collectors, including sharing of user charges, life insurance, welfare fund and disbursal of income generated through sale of usable dry waste among them, have been incorporated in the MoU, said mayor Ravi Kant Sharma, who had called a special meeting of the House.
However, the demand of some of them to continue with cart-based garbage collection and collection of user charges by them instead of the MC have been rejected and cannot be met, he added, during the debate on the issue.
The MC, which took over garbage collection in Sectors 1 to 30 on December 22, has so far struggled to implement it properly as most of the door-to-door garbage collectors have stayed away from manning its collection vehicles, as planned earlier.
So far, of 1,342 garbage collectors in the city, only 609 have enrolled with the MC and just 147 have started working on its vehicles as helpers and drivers. Not getting adequate number of collectors to drive its vehicles, the MC had to depute its outsourced sanitation workers as drivers. It also failed to pick garbage from the doorsteps as collectors remained non-cooperative.
What’s in it for garbage collectors
As per the approved MoU, waste collectors will work as drivers or sanitation assistants on the MC vehicles. They will provide the list of households covered by them right now and the amount charged.
The cumulative amount will become the base amount for their monthly payment from the civic body, with 10% annual hike. Half of the fine collected from residents who fail to segregate waste will also be distributed among the garbage collectors.
Those with valid driving licence will be given preference for the posts of driver. The MC will also outsource the work of drivers, and those engaged for the purpose will have to clear a driving test within six months of joining.
A welfare fund with a corpus of ₹10 lakh will be formed for the garbage collectors, and they will be given free medical treatment besides protective equipment, such as masks and gloves. If any collector can’t come to work for a long period due to illness or leave, any person from their family can work instead.
MC commissioner KK Yadav said: “We will ask sanitary inspectors to get the MoU signed in their areas, which will be done within this week. We already have around 230 drives, and would get more after the House approval to the MoU. The service in southern sectors will also be started in parallel. ”
What it means for you
Timings of garbage collection will be decided by each area councillor in consultation with RWAs.
The user charges will be added to the water bill. Residents who fail to segregate dry and wet waste at source will be fined.
A toll-free phone number will be provided for residents to register their complaints
House sees heated debate on issue
Earlier, there were heated arguments among councillors, even between those from the ruling BJP. Former mayors Rajesh Kalia and Davesh Moudgil sparred over annual increment in payment to collectors.
Moudgil supported 10% increase, but insisted that residents shouldn’t be burdened because of it.
A high drama took place when leader of opposition Devinder Singh Babla called up a complaining resident and put the phone on a microphone during the meeting. After BJP councillors objected to it, the MC commissioner had to intervene and ask Babla to maintain the dignity of the House.
