E-Paper
Waste disposal: One step forward, two step backward for Chandigarh MC
While the Centre makes the annual cleanliness survey tougher, Chandigarh MC continues with its knee-jerk reforms without bothering to build the capacity of waste collectors or generate awareness among residents.
Less than three months from now, a central team will visit Chandigarh to inspect its sanitation status before ranking it for the fourth edition of Swachh Survekshan, a flagship programme of Central government aimed at motivating cities to adopt waste management reforms.
The Chandigarh municipal corporation, which was trounced to third position by Indore and Bhopal due to their superior waste management skills, may slip further given the tougher guidelines for 2019 and its knee-jerk approach to reforms without any forward planning or capacity building.
It took a rap from the Supreme Court, which imposed a construction ban and a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the corporation, for it to notify a solid waste management policy in September.
Later, it was learnt that the SC notice had come in March but MC officials had forgotten all about it. To date, the MC is yet to fix accountability for this omission. The notification was followed by MC’s decision to take up the task of waste collection and segregation, which sparked a standoff with waste collectors, and sent the disposal system into a tailspin.
The city was plunged into an open dump for three weeks as the MC failed to collect waste from the doorstep despite its tall claims. Finally, the waste collectors prevailed and now the MC has decided to let them collect segregated waste from houses starting Tuesday.
‘Knee jerk decisions’
Resident welfare associations call this yet another example of MC’s knee-jerk approach. “If that was the outcome the MC was aiming for, it could have done so through negotiations across the table instead of making the city suffer,” said Baljinder Singh Bittu, president of the Federation of Sectors Welfare Associations of Chandigarh (FOSWAC).
MC, he said, lacked both backward and forward planning on waste reforms.
“They take a decision without any inputs from residents and other stakeholders, and roll it back when there is any protest,” he said.
Om Parkash Saini, who represents waste collectors, said they had never said no to collecting segregated waste. Pointing to yet another ill-planned step by MC, Saini said, “It spent Rs 2 crore to distribute different bins to ensure that residents stock wet and dry waste separately in 2017, but failed to make a place for dumping it separately.” All waste ends up going to the dumping ground, he said.
Devinder Babla, leader of opposition in the MC House, accused the MC of unleashing chaos in the city in the name of reforms. “In July, they promised to hold training sessions for waste collectors to apprise them of MC’s reforms. But on September 14, they suddenly passed the agenda to take control of waste collection. And now they have retreated,” said Babla.
The petition by waste collectors pointed out that Centre’s solid waste management (MSW) policy mandates all civic bodies to integrate waste pickers/ ragpickers into the formal system, a process ignored by MC.
Social activist Ajay Jagga said people have begun to feel that the city was better off without the MC.
New rules for cleanliness get a tough edge
For Swachh Surkeshan-2019, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has revised the weightage under different heads. HT decodes it to understand how it will impact the city’s ranking next year
Change in total marks: The total number of marks has been increased from 4000 to 5000 with new indicators. In 2018, Chandigarh was at the third spot with 3,648 marks.
Star rating assessment for garbage-free status:
Total weightage under this head: 20% (1000 marks)
What is in it: The first major change in the 2019 assessment is the allocation of 1000 marks to star rating system that aims at evaluating civic bodies’ efforts to make cities garbage free. Only a city earning seven star rating will get 100% marks. Chandigarh MC can’t get it as it requires 100% waste segregation, sweeping twice a day, bins at every 50 metre in public places, and complete processing of wet, dry, construction and plastic waste besides removal of the Dadumajra dumping ground.
As decided in the house, MC is going for three star rating, which entitles it to a score of 500 marks.
Revamp of Open Defecation Free (ODF) Status:
Total weightage under this head: 5% (250 marks)
What is in it: Not satisfied with cities getting ODF certification, the Centre has introduced 5% weightage (250 marks) for those cities getting double plus ODF status. This will happen if not a single person is found defecting or urinating in open, which is not the case in Chandigarh. Consequently, it won’t score more than 100 or 150 marks.
Service level progress (solid waste management):
Total weightage under this head: 25% (1250 marks)
What is in it: It means that MC has to improve waste collection and processing. In 2018, the city earned 85% marks, which was 10 points less than the top two cities of Indore and Bhopal.
Citizen participation:
Total Weightage: 25% (1250 markets)
What is in it: Merely downloading the Swach App will no longer be enough. The Centre wants people to use the app to solve their garbage-related problems. This means that MC’s complaint redressal system must be robust. Residents rue that their complaints, whether off line or online, languish for days. In 2018, UT was the top scorer under this head.
Independent verification of urban sanitation in UT:
Total weightage: 25% (1250 markets)
What is in it: This score depends on ground inspection report by a third party agency appointed by the central government. It can visit anytime between January 4 and 30 next year. MC has little time to correct the sanitation situation in the city, be it the poor condition of public toilets or open littering. Last year, MC got 94% marks.
