Will not pay MCG for door-to-door waste collection, say residents

Residents said maintaining a clean city is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram

Residents’ welfare associations have refused to pay charges for door-to-door garbage collection that will be initiated in wards 5 and 6 from December 2.

The MCG will start the door-to-door garbage collection service in wards 5 and 6 from December 2. (Sanchit Khanna/HT File Photo)

Residents said that maintaining a clean city is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).

Residents of sectors 3, 5 and 6 said garbage collection in their areas is done by a private contractor and they pay the agency on a monthly basis.

“We will use the MCG’s service for a month. If they are able to provide a better service and collect garbage regularly, residents will pay the same amount to them instead of the private contractor. However, we will pay only one agency,” said Dinesh Vashisth, president of RWA, sectors 3, 5 and 6.

Dinesh Agarwal, the president of Sector 14 RWA, said they have appealed to mayor Madhu Azad and MCG officials to maintain status quo on the matter and review it.

“The MCG is a rich civic corporation and charging for garbage collection will not add much to the exchequer’s coffer. People are against this decision,” Agarwal said.

“Our area is yet to be taken over by the MCG and even if they do, residents will not pay the maintenance charges (to the society) and the MCG as well for doing the same job. We do not support this initiative (of the MCG) as it’s their responsibility and residents should not be charged,” VMK Singh, general secretary of Suncity Township RWA, said.

Residents also said they are unhappy with the current services provided by the authorities.

“Roads, sewerage, and rainwater harvesting issues are still not resolved and we have been complaining to the MCG officials for last two years. However, they are yet to rectify any of these problems. Handing over the garbage collection to them will worsen the situation,” Rajkumar Yadav, president of Sector 46 RWA, said.

According to MCG officials, the initiative will begin in Ward 5, which comprises Udyog Vihar phases 1-5, sectors 17, 18, 19, 20 and Sirhaul village, and Ward 6 that comprises sectors 12 A, 14, Prem Nagar and Sanjay Colony.

“The step (door-to-door collection) has been initiated. The concessionaire — Ecogreen — has already held sessions with residents on waste segregation and it will be their responsibility to collect garbage from the doorstep. The charges are based on the plot size and range from ₹50 to ₹100, per month,” said SS Rohilla, public relations officer of the MCG.

The development comes in the backdrop of Haryana government’s announcement of resuming operations at the Bandhwari waste treatment plant from June 2019 onwards.