Gurugram civic body, UGR representatives discuss sanitation and development issues

The commissioner informed UGR members that the tender process for door-to-door waste collection is underway and will soon be rolled out.

Sanitation, waste management, street lighting, roads, sewerage, and park maintenance topped the agenda as representatives of united Gurugram RWAs (UGR) met municipal corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner Pradeep Dahiya on Tuesday. The nearly three-hour meeting, also attended by additional commissioner Ravinder Yadav, was described as fruitful by participants, who said it marked a step towards collaborative governance between RWAs and the civic body.

During the meeting. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

“The interaction touched on several important issues plaguing the city and how RWAs could support MCG in improving services—and vice versa,” said Chaitali Mandhotra, co-convener UGR.

The commissioner informed UGR members that the tender process for door-to-door waste collection is underway and will soon be rolled out. RWAs suggested that wet waste be collected daily and dry waste twice a week. They also proposed that RWAs already managing waste smoothly should be allowed to continue with their systems, while those registering as bulk waste generators (BWG) could manage segregation and composting on their own with MCG’s support.

Residents raised apprehensions about garbage collection fees being merged with property tax, fearing staff might skip homes if direct payments are removed. Dahiya acknowledged the concern and said the issue would be discussed further.

On park maintenance, UGR urged MCG to increase the per-square-metre maintenance rate from the current level to ₹12, citing Gurugram’s grade-A city status and rising costs. “The current rates are too low to manage horticulture waste and in-situ composting. This revision is crucial for sustainable park upkeep,” said Gauri Sarin, founder of Making Model Gurugram (MMG). Dahiya assured the delegation that a formal proposal on this matter would be considered.

UGR also strongly objected to a proposed shift to thrice-a-week road sweeping, arguing it violated Section 268 of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, which mandates daily sweeping. Members warned they would protest if the plan was implemented. They suggested studying the earlier HUDA policy, under which sweeping responsibility was transferred to RWAs willing to take it up.

Addressing civic safety issues, MCG officials said a list of dysfunctional streetlights shared by RWAs would be acted upon immediately, with replacements carried out before Diwali. On sewer covers, Dahiya assured residents that missing covers would be replaced at the earliest to prevent accidents.

The commissioner also highlighted this year’s improved drainage during the monsoon, noting that civic teams responded more swiftly compared to previous years. He announced that a central store for materials and equipment was being set up to accelerate maintenance works across the city.

The meeting also touched on MCG’s broader vision. Dahiya said the civic body’s aim was to build a clean, green, and well-lit Gurugram, and stressed that collaborative models with citizen groups like UGR could make services more efficient. He pointed out that market areas earlier under HSVP have now been transferred to MCG, where development projects will begin soon.