Gurgaon, July 18, 2024 – In a significant move to overhaul the city’s waste management system, MCG Commissioner Narhari Singh Banger has formed a four-member committee to review and restructure user charges for door-to-door waste collection. This initiative aims to enable the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to directly collect waste charges from residents, ensuring a more streamlined and efficient process.
The Committee’s Mandate
The committee, headed by Additional Commissioner Balpreet Singh, includes Joint Commissioner (Headquarters) Naresh Kumar, Chief Accounts Officer Vijay Kumar, and Executive Engineer (Swachh Bharat Mission) Nijesh Kumar. This panel has been tasked with evaluating the current system and proposing a framework for direct collection of waste charges by MCG. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations by July 22, 2024.
Potential Revamp Strategies
The Times of India reported on July 12 that the corporation is considering two primary options for revamping the waste collection model. The first option involves integrating user charges with property tax bills, allowing residents to make direct payments to MCG. The second option considers collaborating with banks in each ward for charge collection. These directions were given by Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad during a recent meeting in the city.
Background and Current System
Following the termination of its contract with Ecogreen, MCG outsourced doorstep waste collection to Bimalraj Outsourcing Pvt Ltd in all zones under its jurisdiction. According to the contract, the agency pays MCG 46% of the total user charges collected in zones 1 and 2, and 48.5% in zones 3 and 4. Households currently pay around Rs 100 a month as a user charge, a fee that sources suggest is unlikely to change.
Benefits of Direct Charge Collection
An MCG official stated that once the corporation takes responsibility for user charges, it will reduce reliance on private agencies and vendors engaged in doorstep waste collection. “The committee will provide its suggestions/recommendations to the undersigned on the points/issues raised in the meeting dated July 7 within five working days but not later than July 22 so that the chief secretary to the Government of Haryana can be apprised accordingly,” read the order issued by the MCG commissioner.
Proposed User Charge Framework
Earlier this year, MCG drafted solid waste management bylaws, which are yet to be notified. According to the draft, a user charge of Rs 50 has been proposed for residential properties with an area of up to 50 sq meters (sqm), Rs 100 for properties over 50sqm to 200sqm, Rs 200 for properties over 200sqm to 500sqm, and Rs 250 for plots with areas ranging from 500sqm to 1000sqm. Owners of plots with an area of over 1000sqm will be required to pay Rs 350, while apartments with a cover-up area of up to 2,000 sq feet will incur a fee of Rs 50 per flat, and Rs 100 for flats over 2,000 sq feet.
Implementation and Future Steps
The draft bylaws also suggest fixing the days for collecting user charges, preferably in the first week of each month. Additionally, it proposes that the user fee, if implemented, should automatically increase by 5% per year.
In a related development, the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) department recently decided to waive user charges for waste collection, except for civic bodies under the integrated solid waste management cluster of Gurgaon (Gurgaon and Faridabad) and Sonipat.
As the committee prepares to submit its recommendations, the MCG is poised to take significant steps towards a more effective and resident-friendly waste management system. For continuous updates on this developing story, stay tuned to Sarhind Times.
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