GCC set to privatise waste management in 2 more zones

CHENNAI: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will soon privatise waste collection in two key zones Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar to address issues of open-dumping and shoddy garbage handling issues in those regions. The 2,363-crore 10-year project received GCC council’s approval on Monday.
The project covers essential areas of North and Central Chennai such as Perambur, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Pulianthope, Mint, Sowcarpet, Parrys, Egmore, Royapuram and Harbour.The contractor will be evaluated on 43 critical parameters, including door-to-door collection, manual and mechanical street sweeping, secondary waste transportation from bins, clearance of waste hotspots, cleaning of canals and riverbanks, carcass waste removal, and provision of priority services teams.

The contract also stipulates maintenance of litter-free corridors, mass cleaning drives, cleaning burial grounds and sanitation of slum board areas. Once privatised, GCC will manage only three zones — Tondiarpet, Ambattur, and Anna Nagar — with the remaining 12 zones being outsourced.
Chief engineer (solid waste management) S Sakthimanikandan said: “We will pay the contractor 50% of the project cost upfront and the remaining 50% will be based on performance. The privatisation model has worked in other zones so far and has also reduced GCC’s solid waste management expenses by 20-30%. The tenders will be called for soon.”
The combined waste generation from the two zones is currently 1,244 tonnes a day, and is expected to rise to 1,398 tonnes by 2032. The contractor will also be responsible for conducting outreach programmes in schools and colleges to enhance awareness about waste segregation and bio-waste processing at home.
“The contractor must focus on notorious hotspots such as Otteri Nullah and Buckingham Canal, where people often dump plastic waste. Better enforcement is needed to keep these waterways clean during floods,” said R Ramesh, a civic activist from Royapuram. He added that staff shortage leading to prolonged waste accumulation in bins must also be addressed.
C Raghukumar, convener of Perambur neighbourhood development forum, urged GCC to ensure adequate resources for the contractor.