Mumbai: In perhaps a first step towards privatisation of garbage carrying contracts, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will not permit its civic labourers to lift garbage in certain areas of the city. Instead, the civic body has asked the contractors to carry out the entire task of lifting and carrying the garbage to the dumping grounds.
In the present situation, contractors only provide vehicles to carry garbage from the collection centres to the dumping grounds. The job lifting and unloading the garbage is done by municipal labourers.
However, the BMC has now asked the contractors to provide vehicles as well as manpower to lift the garbage. Even the task of providing dustbins has also been allocated to contractors only.
The pilot project will be carried out in four wards – Mulund (T), Kandivali (R-South), Borivali (R-Central) and Dahisar (R-North) for a period of seven years.
According to civic officials, the BMC has allotted the contracts to two firms – Metro Waste Handling and AG Enviro Infroprojects – for the pilot project. “In all these four areas, the contractors will carry out the entire task of lifting and carrying the garbage. The civic body will not interfere in these works any more,” said a senior civic official.
However, the opposition parties have decided to oppose the BMC’s decision to allot the garbage lifting works to private contractors. “The decision has been taken to favour some of the contractors. Some of them have been accused of carrying debris in their vehicles. There has been no proper investigation in this matter. If the contractors are found guilty in debris issue, the BMC should blacklist them and instead issue new tenders,” said Opposition leader Ravi Raja from Congress.
