Transfer of C&D waste plant operations under scanner

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) initiated an inquiry against its concessionaire for the Basai construction and demolition (C&D) waste plant for allegedly subletting the facility to a third party

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) initiated an inquiry against its concessionaire for the Basai construction and demolition (C&D) waste plant for allegedly subletting the facility to a third party, said officials on Sunday.

Dumping of C&D waste on vacant plots is a rampant problem in Gurugram. (HT Archive)

Officials clarified that they are checking if the same was allowed under the agreement and said that “it could be a violation” of the agreement.

Representatives for the concessionaire, IL&FS, said that the plant was earlier being looked after by a subsidiary that was sold to another company, due to which the operations of the plant were also transferred.

The matter was raised during the MCG House meeting on Saturday. Taking cognisance of the issue, mayor Madhu Azad initiated an inquiry in the matter and gave MCG officials till Wednesday to submit a report on the matter.

The C&D plant at Basai, Haryana’s first such facility, was inaugurated in June 2017 by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and has been operational since December 2019. On average, it processes around 20,000 tonnes of waste per month.

“I have initiated an inquiry into the matter and MCG officials have been given a deadline of four days (till Wednesday) to submit a report. Officials were directed to check whether the agreement allowed subletting the operation and maintenance of the plant to a third party, and if not, what are the ramifications for it, such as penalties and termination of the contract,” said Azad.

The MCG and IL&FS had signed an agreement for the project in July 2016.

MCG commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja said that the civic body is investigating the matter. “An investigation has been initiated in the matter (of subletting the plant). Depending on the findings of the report, the next step of action will be taken,” said Ahuja.

According to IL&FS officials, they sold their subsidiary, IL&FS Environmental Infrastructure & Services Limited (IEISL), in April. “We have sold our waste management businesses under IL&FS Environment in April 2021 as a part of the Resolution Process,” the spokesman for IL&FS said.

At the Basai plant, concrete aggregate products, such as gravel, sand, stones and concrete (items primarily used in construction), and value-added products, such as kerbstones, tiles, pavement blocks and concrete bricks, can be recycled from C&D waste.

Although the MCG has five designated spots, in Sector 56, Kadipur, Transport Nagar near Rajiv Chowk, Wazirabad, and Sector 110, for dumping C&D waste, illegal dumping of such waste across vacant plots and empty roads is a common occurrence, and the need for processing C&D waste with an equipped facility was a long-standing demand of residents and environmentalists.

According to MCG officials, the city produces around 800 tonnes of C&D waste daily.

In a meeting held last March, officials of the concessionaire had informed the MCG that 300 tonnes of waste were being processed every day, but the capacity can be increased to 1,500 tonnes if the need arises.