Chandigarh MC to hire firm to make city trash-free

Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has decided to hire an agency to prepare and execute a comprehensive plan for the management of solid waste in the city. It has issued a request for proposal (RFP) in this regard.

The MC said the RFP was issued with the aim of achieving the Swachh Bharat Mission mandate. A senior official said the successful execution of such a comprehensive solid waste management (SWM) strategy requires the services of an advisory agency with expertise in this field.

The role of the agency will be to provide strategic guidance, technical expertise and project management support, among others, to ensure that the SWM initiatives are not only effective but also sustainable.

It will review the existing documents, including city development plans, previous project reports and available secondary data to identify shortcomings and prepare a robust plan. It will also review land availability and the necessity of integrated solid waste management systems. The company will prepare a conceptual plan after evaluating the viability and sustainability of the proposed SWM projects according to the specific needs of the MC.

The agency will come up with project management procedures and protocols to ensure an effective coordination, communication and reporting throughout the project lifecycle. It will monitor the project progress, budget and quality standards, and take corrective actions as necessary to keep the project on track.

One of the prime responsibilities of the civic body is to ensure cleanliness and sanitation in the city. The Government of India has launched Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0, which has been designed to realise the goal of making all cities ‘garbage free’.

The solid waste management has always been a major challenge for the MC. The garbage-processing plant established in Sector 25 here has failed to achieve its goal.

The city generates over 450 tonnes of garbage daily, of which half is organic waste. The residents of Dadumajra are facing a lot of problems due to the mountains of garbage that have come up on the dumping ground.