Garbage collectors oppose Centre’s move, threaten stir

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22

The Centre’s plan for launching a nationwide scheme for dry and wet segregation of garbage from households on World Environment Day has got a blow in the City Beautiful with garbage collectors protesting against the move at a meeting with the MC Joint Commissioner today. They have threatened to take to the streets if the plan is brought into force on June 5.

The garbage collectors are against the move of segregation of waste from households by carrying six dustbins of two colours on a rehri and “not making any money out of the waste”.

Manoj Khatri, MC Joint Commissioner-I, held a meeting with garbage collectors of different areas at the Sector 23 community centre to apprise them of the scheme, which they did not support. After he left, they gathered outside the community centre to protest against the move.

At present, the collectors have divided the sectors among themselves and privately collect garbage in the city. Besides charging a monthly fee from residents, they also make money out of the waste. The waste is later supplied to the Dadu Majra garbage processing plant. The plant is run by the Jaypee Group, which had claimed last year that it was suffering a loss of Rs 50 lakh every month and had even demanded tipping fee from the civic body.

“We were told by officials today that we will get gloves, dress and a rehri to collect waste. However, we want to continue with the old plan as we have to support our families. For the past many years, we have been collecting waste, but they did not bother to engage us. Now that they have got orders from the top, they are asking us to follow suit. How can an old woman carry big dustbins, to be provided by them, to the fourth floor,” rued Naresh Kumar Loth, vice-president of the Chandigarh Door-to-Door Garbage Society. “They earlier told us they would give us an e-rickshaw, but they didn’t. They again want to cheat us. They earlier tried to impose the contract system in Sector 22, which we did not allow by protesting for a week. If the present system is implemented, we will take to the streets on June 5. We want to segregate the waste on our own and in our own way,” said Jai Kishan Dhula, president of the garbage society.

The Joint Commissioner, however, said they had understood and agreed to what he said. “I am only following the government’s initiative. We have told them to be part of the system. As 700 of them have already registered with us, the others should also get themselves registered. There are various garbage societies and each one has a different take. We will implement the scheme. If they want, they can take the waste and make money, we have no problem with that,” said the Joint Commissioner.

Some made the most of waste

At the last MC meeting, an official had pointed out that over the years, some collectors had constructed their own houses and bought cars by segregating waste and selling it further.

MC’s June 5 plan

The MC will distribute two separate bins for door-to-door collection of dry and wet garbage from June 5. The MC is also bringing in a proposal to fix the fee for residents for garbage collection.