Guwahati lacks proper garbage collection mechanism despite GMC trying out various models
The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) is planning a new mechanism for door-to-door garbage collection after previous exercises involving ward committees, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and organisations like Ramky did not yield desired results. GMC is now mulling to do away with door-to-door garbage collection by ward committees or NGOs. Instead, it is planning to organise the city into divisions with each being entrusted to a private entity for collecting the garbage.
A source in GMC talking to GPlus said, “In a recent MIC (Mayor In Council) meeting, it was decided that the garbage collection mechanism should be changed,” adding that the engineers have been entrusted with the responsibility of chalking out a plan for dividing the city into some divisions and preparing a tender to hire private parties division wise for collecting garbage is possible.”
The source also said that even NGOs can be hired if they meet the required criteria which will be required for taking up the garbage collection contract.
But, many councillors are allegedly against the plan and are working to block it.
ALSO READ: Guwahati: Proposed Rail-Cum-Road Bridge May See Pandu Encroachers Evicted
A BJP councillor talking to GPlus on condition of anonymity said, “During elections the garbage collection process was affected as there were no labourers, “ adding that now things will improve and the new plan is not required.
Another councillor said that the division of the city and hiring private parties will bring back a “Ramky-like situation.” He said that most councillors are opposing the plan and the matter will be sorted out in the general body meeting.
The Ramky Group, a leading environmental and waste management organisation of the country, was hired to begin door-to-door collection of waste across the city from October 2008. The service of the organisation was terminated in 2014.
Thereafter, NGOs were hired to collect garbage from 31 wards. The wards later were expanded to 60 and accordingly, 60 NGOs were hired.
Last year, out of 60 wards, door-to-door garbage collection in eight wards were undertaken by the ward development committee (WDC) headed by the ward councillor; new NGOs were appointed in 25 wards. Previous NGOs were retained in 26 wards and one ward – ward number 48 - was considered as the model ward.
This year, people are not happy with the garbage collection process and the GMC is again mulling a new mechanism.
It is not just today that the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) is brainstorming to systemise the garbage collection and disposal process. The department has severely failed to resolve the issue for many years. After Ramky (an organisation that was trying to manage garbage of the city till 2014), the GMC from July 2014 started to collect garbage door-to-door with the help of 31 NGOs who were responsible for collecting garbage every day from all the residential houses and commercial establishments in the city. The NGOs were also responsible for cleaning the drains and streets. There were approximately 2.5 lakh households in Guwahati and around 80,000 commercial establishments which together generated 450 metric ton of garbage every day then. Now the garbage generation has increased to 600 metric ton.
Ramky was a failure and the GMC in 2014 thought of starting an NGO-based garbage collection. As the GMC still follows the NGO system it needs to be mentioned that the GMC while starting the project in 2014 provided 62 auto tippers and 500 tricycles to the NGOs to collect door-to-door garbage and to deposit it in the dustbins located across the city.
But they were asked to do it on an everyday basis.
A source in the GMC told G Plus that half of whatever was provided is non-functional now. The GMC sources said that while starting the project, the GMC had to invest Rs 80 lakh approximately per month. Now, the estimated budget to be spent every month is over Rs one crore approximately. The households till few months back used to pay Rs 30 per month to the NGOs for collecting garbage every day.
This includes the area drain cleaning task too.
If there are 7,000 households in a ward and if all the households pay Rs 30 each per month it comes to a total of Rs 2.1 lakh.
The amount should have gone to the NGO of that ward.
The GMC also provided an extra 20 per cent of the total amount to the NGO to collect the garbage collection fee from the households as many people were employed to collect the money. But the GMC source revealed that the NGOs failed to collect 100 per cent fees from the households.
According to the GMC sources, they provided tricycles, auto vans, and other amenities to the NGOs. To start the work, the NGOs required many types of equipment like shovels, etc, so, the NGOs were given Rs 40,000 initially as mobilisation advance.
All the NGOs had to do was to collect the garbage and deposit it on a daily basis. This happened when it started in 2014, but now nothing is given to the NGOs or the ward development committees, said a source.
A resident of Jyotikuchi, Dipa Nath said, “Since 2014 till date the NGOs never came to collect garbage on an everyday basis. They come after four to five days to collect garbage.”
Similarly, many city denizens talking to G Plus said that the NGOs do not collect the garbage every day.
After GMC elections in 2022, new NGOs and ward development committees were involved for garbage collection but now it looks like a failure for political reasons.
A councillor said, “Before NGOs used to take Rs. 30 from households and commercial establishments used to pay according to the garbage they generated, “ adding now the political leaders have made household garbage collection free, how will the NGOs or people appointed by ward development committee survive. Even the NGOs cannot survive, said the councillor.
The new plan is difficult, said the councillor because the GMC may be an urban local body but depends on political leaders for its decisions. “Revenue generation and professionalism lacks in GMC which hampers the entire process,” said the councillor on condition of anonymity. He said that garbage collection issue will never be resolved unless GMC becomes professional and stop taking orders from political leaders.
The garbage collection is not proper and it affects the city and it is high time GMC thinks of a permanent solution.
