Patiala civic body seeks report on firm’s performance

Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 18

The Municipal Corporation (MC) has tightened the noose around the waste collection project given to private company Hari Bhari Recyclables Private Limited. Officials have sought a report on the company’s performance from the Municipal Corporation’s health branch, which will be discussed in the next General House meeting.

In a meeting held with representatives of the company on Thursday, Municipal Corporation officials discussed matters concerning the project.

The company was given the waste collection and segregation project in October 2018 hoping to relieve the city from rising piles of garbage at Sanauri Adda and small dumping sites.

Instead, in more than one-and-a-half year, the Municipal Corporation has only managed to shift garbage heaps from roads to underground waste collection bins installed at various sites thereafter.

There has been negligible progress in waste segregation at source or by company workers.

Officials in the Municipal Corporation said they were preparing a report on the company’s performance. Municipal Commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said officials held a meeting with company’s representatives on Thursday.

“They were issued a notice over their performance. We have also told them to complete the process of putting up UPIN numbers. Discussion was held on inclusion of ragpickers with the company and their payments. We have told them to ensure proper lifting with waste segregation,” she added.

“The project will now be taken up in the General House meeting of the Municipal Corporation,” she said.

Earlier, officials of the Municipal Corporation had reviewed the performance of the project in January this year and found its progress not upto the mark. The Municipal Corporation General House had then given another opportunity to the company by extending the project for three months.