The Chandigarh municipal corporation’s move to take over door-to-door garbage collection has dramatically changed the relationship between residents and waste lifters.
The waste lifters, who were earlier employed by private contractors, have started manning the MC’s twin-bin garbage collection vehicles after the takeover in December last year.
While many residents have been complaining about the implementation being sporadic, they now find even the waste lifters being “uncooperative”.
“For starters, the behaviour of the garbage collectors has changed overnight. They were earlier were responsive to our suggestions. But now we have no say over their working, as they think they are answerable to the MC and not the residents,” said Pankaj Gupta, president, resident welfare association (RWA), Sector 38 West.
Vinod Vashisht, convener, City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations, said, “Even though the same people have been employed by the MC, they have stopped picking garbage from houses on the first and second floors as they used to do earlier. This is particularly tough for the aged people who are not able to go downstairs on a short notice.”
“The residents have no control over how the garbage is being collected. There is still lots of confusion, and neither the MC nor the garbage collectors are of any help nowadays,” said Pardeep Chopra, secretary, RWA, Sector 21, adding that earlier the system was much better as the RWA could easily coordinate with garbage collectors.
{{/usCountry}}“The residents have no control over how the garbage is being collected. There is still lots of confusion, and neither the MC nor the garbage collectors are of any help nowadays,” said Pardeep Chopra, secretary, RWA, Sector 21, adding that earlier the system was much better as the RWA could easily coordinate with garbage collectors.
{{/usCountry}}While some residents complained that the garbage is being picked on alternate days, others claimed the workers have been skipping one day every week. A few also pointed out that garbage collectors have stopped entertaining requests for picking up the horticulture waste.
‘We are just following rules’
Om Prakash Saini, chairman, Chandigarh Door-to-Door Garbage Collectors’ Society, said: “We are just following MC’s rules. In view of Covid-19, we have to maintain distance from houses. As far as the garden or horticulture waste is concerned, the MC’s two-bin vehicles are not equipped to handle it.”
On the collectors taking a day off every week, Saini said: “Like in any other job, taking a day off is the right of a garbage collector. The relationship is bound to change as now the MC is the in-charge and not the waste collectors or residents.”