Swept but not lifted, horticulture waste dots roads

Chandigarh, April 7

At a time when the Municipal Corporation is looking to improve its Swachh ranking, city roads are strewn with heaps of horticulture waste, raising a question mark over civic body’s seriousness.

Residents complain of heaps of waste lying outside houses or localities for days on end. Sweepers clean the roads every morning and collect the waste at different points, but it is not lifted by MC vehicles regularly, they claim.

As a result, the horticulture waste gets strewn across the road, rue residents. At some places, the waste ends up clogging road gullies.

Volume of leaves high due to fall season

The fall season has started, thus the volume of dry leaves is high. We have deployed several vehicles. However, despite heavy deployment, we have a lag of about 24 hours. — Anindita Mitra, MC Commissioner

Vinod Vashisht, convener, City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations (CFORWO), says: “Sweeping is done regularly, but tractor-trailers come to collect horticulture waste only after two weeks. By that time, the waste gets scattered. We have received complaints from several sectors, including 22, 38 (West), 33, 32 and others. The MC must ensure regular lifting. Any laxity will affect MC’s Swachh ranking.”

City-based activist LR Budania says: “It is right before your eyes. Dry leaves swept by sweepers are not being collected regularly. Those responsible must be held accountable and officials concerned should visit various sectors to see the ground reality.”

Some residents say even if the waste is collected, it is not done properly. “Workers do not sweep the heap clean. They collect part of the heap and leave the rest. They are often contract staff and officials seldom inspect their work,” claims Ronit Kumar, a resident of Sector 22.

MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra says: “The fall season has started, thus the volume of dry leaves is high. We have deployed several vehicles. However, despite heavy deployment, we have a lag of about 24 hours.” In the northern sectors and Mani Majra, there are 40 private tractor-trailers, 13 belonging to the MC and seven compactors. Besides, 27 tractor-trailers are deployed in the southern sectors, she says. Another 29 tippers, eight flat-deck trailers and a compactor have been deployed in the southern sectors.