MC to engage firm for clearing third trash mountain

The Municipal Corporation (MC) is set to engage a private firm for processing the third garbage mountain at the Dadu Majra dumping ground, with a project cost of Rs 12 crore. The proposal will be discussed in the MC General House meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

Advertisement

According to the agenda of the meeting, MC officials have emphasised the urgency of clearing the dumping ground, as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is pressing for clearing the dumping ground at the earliest. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also mandated that the third dump be cleared in a time-bound manner.

The MC had assured the Chairman and Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs that the third dump will be cleared by July, subject to weather conditions.

According to the agenda, two private firms have expressed interest in undertaking the bio-mining process for the dump. Upon the House’s approval, an MoU will be signed with the selected firm to initiate the project. The funding will be sourced from the earmarked solid waste management funds, as mandated by the NGT.

The MC, under Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, is set to reintroduce a proposal to hike the electricity cess at the meeting tomorrow, a move that will make power more expensive in the city.

As per the agenda, the civic body has been charging a municipal cess of 10 paise per unit on electricity consumption since 2019, generating around Rs 15-16 crore annually. Citing financial constraints, the MC is now looking to raising the cess to 16 paise per unit, aligning it with the rate in Punjab. This increase is expected to boost the civic body’s revenue to Rs 22-23 crore per annum.

“The municipal tax in neighbouring Punjab is 2% of electricity consumption, which translates to approximately 16 paise per unit, while Haryana charges 8 paise per unit,” the agenda noted.

The proposal has previously faced resistance from the AAP and the Congress. Both parties had promised in their Lok Sabha election manifesto to provide free 20,000 litres of water per household per month, 300 units of free electricity to families earning below Rs 20,000 per month, and no new taxes.

With the Opposition parties likely to challenge the move again, tomorrow’s House meeting is expected to witness a heated debate over the financial burden on residents versus the MC’s need for additional revenue.

Waste management plant

The House will also decide on selecting a private firm for the integrated solid waste management plant at Dadu Majra. The project, first approved in July 2023, is aimed at managing the city’s daily waste generation of 550 metric tonnes (MT). The plant, with a capacity of 600 tonnes per day, will be set up over 20 acres and include three waste-processing facilities for dry, wet and horticulture waste.

The project is planned for a 17-year period — two years for construction and 15 years for operation and maintenance. During the last financial bidding on January 7, M/s Hindustan Waste Treatment Private Limited, in joint venture with M/s SFC Environmental Technologies Private Limited, Navi Mumbai, submitted the lowest bid. The House will now finalise its selection for the project.

Both proposals are important for addressing the issue of legacy waste, said a councillor.

Rs 32L for plantation at dump

The Finance and Contract Committee has given its approval to planting trees and shrubs in the dumping ground at Dadu Majra at an estimated cost of Rs 32.90 lakh.

A meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla and attended by Amit Kumar, Commissioner, and other members — Saurabh Joshi, Poonam, Suman Devi.