MCD to hire agencies to manage waste across Delhi’s South, Central, and West zones

MCD seeks approval for ₹2,939 crore contracts to manage garbage in South, Central, and West zones, addressing challenges from expired agreements.

New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is in the final stages of appointing new concessionaires to manage garbage in the South, Central, and West zones, and an approval has been sought from the Standing Committee to award contracts worth over ₹2,939 crore, officials said.

Photo for representation (Bloomberg)

The three zones — which include key areas like Maharani Bagh, Friends Colony, Greater Kailash, Defence colony, Panchsheel Park, Janakpuri, and Rajouri Garden — have been facing challenges in garbage management due to the expiry of long-term contracts with previous operators, officials say.

According to a senior MCD official, the civic body has completed the tendering process for appointing waste collection and transportation agencies. “A proposal regarding agency rates and selection will be placed before the Standing Committee for approval. Once approved, the department will immediately issue the work orders,” the official added.

Officials said the new contractual arrangement has been designed to eliminate jurisdictional ambiguities and operational disputes. Under this policy, the appointed agency will handle door-to-door waste collection and establish a call center to address sanitation complaints. The same agency will also be responsible for collecting green waste and the silt extracted from drains, officials said. Earlier, agencies were tasked only with collecting household waste.

The new contractual arrangement also mandates that the agency contracted for waste collection must establish a 24-hour helpline. Additionally, an application must be developed to enable citizens to register complaints. The agency will also be responsible for resolving these grievances. Furthermore, CCTV cameras equipped with infrared technology must be installed at Focal Collection and Transfer Stations (FCTS) to monitor waste collection operations.

According to officials, MCD proposes awarding seven-year contracts worth ₹1,124 crore for the South zone, ₹922.35 crore for the Central, and ₹893.12 crore for the West zone to manage garbage, green waste, and drain silt. HT has reviewed copies of these proposals.

The Central Delhi areas have especially faced a resource crunch such as lack of bins, hook loaders and machinery due to the non-appointment of a new agency. Initially, MCD granted existing agencies one-year extensions, subsequently followed by six-month extensions.

In instances where existing agencies declined to continue their services, MCD resorted to issuing ad-hoc tenders, again for six-month periods. Consequently, it was not possible to deploy adequate vehicles and machinery for waste collection. This resulted in the accumulation of garbage heaps and open dhalaos — a mess that MCD councilors have been complaining about during various MCD meetings.