High Court Official Reviews Cleanliness Measures in Gurugram

Gurugram, Jan 3 (NationPress) The Local Commissioner designated by the Punjab and Haryana High Court visited Gurugram on Thursday to evaluate the cleanliness arrangements in the city.

A meeting took place with officials at the Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) office, where various issues, such as the cleanliness framework, Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste management, garbage disposal, and the responsibilities of Bulk Waste Generators, were thoroughly examined.

During the discussion, MCG Commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg informed the delegation that the MCG jurisdiction is segmented into four zones, encompassing a total of 36 wards.

Additionally, 68 villages fall under the corporation's purview, which serves a population of 2,414,975 with a workforce of 6,759 officers and employees.

The MCG operates a 4,596-km road network, a 3,738-km drinking water supply network, 42 micro STPs, 1,276 parks, 75 water bodies, 404 water harvesting systems, and 89,716 streetlights.

According to the MCG Chief, approximately 1,200 tonnes of waste is produced daily within the corporation area. An agreement was established with Ecogreen Energy Private Limited in August 2017 to facilitate door-to-door collection, transport the waste to the Bandhwari plant, and manage waste disposal.

Due to unsatisfactory performance, a termination notice was issued to the company in June 2024.

In addition to mechanized street sweepers, the civic body has employed sanitation personnel for road cleaning, and a private firm is contracted for door-to-door garbage collection.

Furthermore, waste is gathered from secondary collection points and transported to the Bandhwari garbage disposal plant.

To date, 3.422 million metric tonnes of legacy waste has been processed at the facility, and the tendering process is ongoing for another 1.4 million metric tonnes of refuse.

Information shared regarding debris from construction and demolition activities indicates that 1,000 to 1,200 metric tonnes of debris is generated daily in the corporation area, with approximately 1.1 million metric tonnes of legacy debris currently situated at various locations.

The corporation maintains a C&D waste disposal plant in Basai and is working on establishing additional C&D disposal facilities at three other sites.

To deter illegal dumping of C&D materials, the corporation has formed a sanitation security force, which monitors the area around the clock.

This force has issued 142 challans in the past two months, seized 40 vehicles, and filed 14 FIRs.

The corporation has identified 55 C&D bulk waste generators, issued notices to them, and is in the process of enhancing the Basai plant's capacity to 1,000 tonnes per day.

The Municipal Commissioner mentioned that the corporation has set up dedicated helpline numbers for sanitation, horticulture, and C&D waste, enabling residents to lodge complaints.

He also informed the team of an agreement signed with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited for waste management, which will involve establishing a plant for converting waste into charcoal.

Moreover, two Jatayu machines are deployed to enhance the area's cleanliness efforts.

Garbage trolleys and bins have been strategically placed at areas prone to littering to prevent waste from scattering on the ground.

In line with the Polythene-Free Gurugram initiative, cloth bag vending machines have been installed at ten locations.

Additionally, the Better Clean Ward Incentive Scheme has been initiated, promising an additional development fund of one crore rupees for the first ward and 50 lakh rupees for the second ward.

During the meeting, it was reported that actions are rapidly progressing to ensure adherence to waste management regulations outlined in the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 for bulk waste generators.

To facilitate this, the corporation has developed a BWG registration portal, with a monitoring cell inspecting BWGs daily and registering them accordingly. A fine of Rs 25,000 is imposed on non-compliance, with 997 BWGs currently registered on the portal.