Waste mgmt firm’s Dubai-based CFO discusses issues with MC
Charanjit Singh Teja
Amritsar, May 25
Finally, the solid waste management firm Averda’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Michel Nassour from Dubai visited the city and assured the Municipal Corporation of addressing all the issues being faced by them here on Thursday. MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh had issued a notice to the company to respond to the pending issues within seven days. Following this, Michel Nassour, Chief Finance Officer of Averda company, reached Amritsar and met the MC officials.
The Municipal Corporation had hired the Dubai-based Solid Waste Management (SWM) firm Averda to collect garbage door-to-door and various collection points in the city. The company was supposed to conduct bio-remediation at the Bhagtanwala dump and set up a waste-to-energy plant at the dump site.
Michel Nassour was in the city for the last three days and held continuous meetings with company officials. He also discussed issues with the dignitaries of the city and MC officials regarding the problems.
During the meeting with Michel Nassour, MC Commissioner Harpreet Singh said that the company should improve its working system. Harpreet Singh said that the company does not even have enough vehicles for door-to-door garbage collection. The company is debt-ridden and its financial condition is not good. Bio-remediation at the dump has completely come to a stop and the waste-to-energy plant has also not started yet. The city residents are facing problems due to this.
Michel Nassour, CFO of Averda, assured the MC Commissioner of improving door-to-door garbage collection in the city. He said that in the next 15 days, around 30 to 35 new vehicles will arrive for garbage collection from households. He said that after a month, 35 new vehicles will be purchased. Along with this, four compactors will also be purchased. He said the company will also start bio-remediation at the dump in the days ahead. Along with this, the process of setting up a waste-to-energy plant is also being initiated by the company. He said that the provident fund and ESI of its employees is being released. All the problems of company officials and employees will be resolved. He said that the liabilities of the company will be paid off in the coming days.
It is for the first time when a senior official of the company has come to Amritsar from Dubai. Michel Nassour said that the supervision of Amritsar city will continue to be done from Dubai. He said that India is a big market and he wants to expand business in India. That is why they will develop Amritsar as a model city, he added.
