Waste management project stalls again over costs, strike

The Punjab Government's plan to outsource the Solid Waste Management (SWM) project across all urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state has once again failed to take off.

Originally conceived for smaller Municipal Committees, the project was later expanded to include larger Municipal Corporations. A total of 1,726 tenders were floated for various ULBs, including those in Nawanshahr, Mehatpur, Bhogpur, Adampur, Alawalpur and larger cities such as Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur.

However, following a 10-day strike by safai karamcharis during the festive season, the project has now been called off. Officials have cited the staff strike as one reason behind the decision, but admitted that the primary issue was financial non-viability. The anticipated cost of implementing the project was beyond the budgetary capacities of smaller towns. For instance, the projected expenditure for Mukerian and Talwara towns in Hoshiarpur was pegged at Rs 3.9 crore and Rs 3.47 crore, respectively.

"It was not feasible for small committees like Nadala and Begowal in Kapurthala to spend Rs 2.6 crore and Rs 2.34 crore, respectively, on waste management alone. These small ULBs were not in a position to sustain the project without government assistance and technically, it was not possible for the state to support so many ULBs," an official from the Directorate of Local Bodies, Punjab, said.

At present, waste collection in these towns is being carried out in an informal and unorganised manner. The project aimed to bring in private companies to implement a more systematic and planned approach to waste collection and disposal. With the plan shelved, officials now say that a fresh strategy will need to be devised.

Environmentalist Meenal Verma criticised the repeated failures of successive governments to address the core issues of waste management. "The previous government bought expensive machinery that now lies unused and rusting. The only viable solution is to manage waste at the ward or mohalla level, educate residents and implement the system in a phased, structured manner," she said.

Citing the example of Indore, she added, "If cities like Indore can manage their waste efficiently, there is no reason why Punjab's towns cannot. Hotels must set up their own compost plants. Households can manage green waste. What's needed is segregation at source, maintaining that segregation through collection and ensuring proper disposal. But above all, it is the willingness that's missing."