Chandigarh MC slams brakes on Smart Parking, integrated waste mgmt plant
Cutting across party lines, councillors demand fresh blueprints for both projects during monthly House meeting, claiming financial and procedural irregularities
In a rare show of unity, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) on Tuesday rejected two crucial infrastructure projects—Smart Parking and the Integrated Solid Waste Management plant—citing flawed terms and conditions, and suspected financial misappropriation. The House instead unanimously demanded fresh proposals with revised plans and conditions.
The Integrated Solid Waste Management plant, approved by MC in July 2023, was intended to address the city’s growing waste crisis. Located in Dadumajra, the facility was designed to process 600 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily, including dry, wet and horticultural waste under the same roof. To be awarded for a 17-year period (two years for construction and 15 years for operation and maintenance), the project was tabled again on Tuesday to finalise the lowest bidding firm. However, councillors across party lines strongly opposed it.
Tender manipulated to favour certain firms: BJP
BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi highlighted discrepancies in the tendering process. “M/s Hindustan Waste Treatment Private Limited initially quoted ₹4,950 per MT, but later lowered it to ₹3,500 per MT. Why would a company incur a loss of ₹1,500 crore over 17 years? This suggests manipulation to favour certain firms,” Joshi alleged.
He further claimed that the proposal suddenly resurfaced after reshuffling of MC officers. “The original officers who pushed this project are now absent. Moreover, the selected firm refused to collect horticultural, medical and hazardous waste, forcing MC to process it separately, despite spending crores on the plant. There is a significant gap between projected and actual waste figures, indicating vested interests,” he alleged.
Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi raised concerns about the plant’s viability. “We recommended a plant that converts waste into electricity, not compressed natural gas (CNG), which is outdated. Officers ignored our inputs, pushing for a plan that does not serve the city’s best interests,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention that until the new project is conceived, approved and executed, the civic body will continue to process the daily garbage itself at its various segregated plants.
Amendments necessary in Smart Parking policy: MC chief
After years of delay, the much-anticipated Smart Parking project was also tabled in Tuesday’s House meeting, featuring revised parking rates and updated terms. However, instead of amending the existing flawed tender, councillors decided to reject the project entirely, calling for a fresh blueprint with revised rates and conditions.
MC had proposed to increase parking rates by including taxes and had introduced changes in terms with private firms, citing challenges in finalising the agreement, GST collection issues and stamp duties. “The set rates, when combined with GST, result in impractical amounts, making payments inconvenient for residents. We aim to round the figures off for easier transactions. Additionally, the policy requires modifications. Therefore, we are proposing to redraft the Smart Parking policy with necessary amendments to arrive at an agreement with the selected private firm,” said municipal commissioner Amit Kumar.
Originally conceived in August 2022, the Smart Parking project aimed to introduce a FASTag-enabled parking system across all 89 parking lots in Chandigarh.
In July 2023, the MC House had decided on new rates under the Smart Parking project, which would be implemented only after the project’s roll-out.
MC had planned a marginal fee hike for tricity cars but decided to double the fee for out-of-tricity vehicles. The then Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit had rejected the proposal to double parking fees but approved the hiked rates. Currently, the civic body charges ₹7 for two-wheelers and ₹14 for four-wheelers irrespective of the vehicles’ registration number.
New firm to tackle third garbage mountain at Dadumajra
Amid strong resentment from councillors, MC approved the hiring of a new private firm to clear the third garbage mountain that has come up at the Dadumajra dumping ground. To be completed by July 2025, the project will entail an estimated ₹12-crore cost.
The decision came in response to growing environmental concerns and mounting pressure from regulatory authorities.
Former mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor strongly criticised the move, questioning why the existing firm, which was already allocated crores to clear the second garbage mountain, failed to prevent the formation of another massive waste pile. He said the firm should have been held accountable for completing the task instead of awarding a new contract. He also demanded that MC provide a transparent report on its total expenditure on legacy waste clearance and clarify how and when the allocated funds were utilised.