Contracts expire, Rohtak MC takes over garbage lifting
Heaps of garbage were seen at several locations across Rohtak city on Tuesday following the expiry of contracts with two private firms responsible for door-to-door garbage collection and waste removal from the city’s dumping points.
The contracts ended on June 30, prompting the municipal corporation (MC) authorities to arrange alternative measures for garbage collection and disposal in all 22 municipal wards.
Piles of waste were spotted along the Radio Station–Prem Nagar Road, Mata Darwaja, the Old ITI area and at various points on Jhajjar Road, Sonepat Road and Jind Road, attracting stray animals and spreading a foul odour in surrounding neighbourhood.
“the Rohtak municipal area has been divided into two zones, with two separate agencies handling door-to-door garbage collection and the lifting of waste from dumping points until Monday. From Tuesday, the entire operation is being managed by the municipal corporation itself with the help of previous agencies,” said a municipal councillor.
He noted that since it was the first day after the contract’s expiry, the situation could worsen in the coming days if the work was not assigned to a private agency soon, hence the authorities should expedite the tender allotment work.
Anand Sharma, Commissioner of the municipal corporation, stated that the process was underway to issue a short-term tender for three months to handle door-to-door collection and waste removal.
“The tender will be opened on July 4. Until then, the corporation is taking temporary steps to avoid public inconvenience. Fifteen additional tractor-trailers have been deployed to lift garbage from dumping points while manpower and other resources are also being deployed by existing agencies and the municipal corporation to collect garbage from municipal wards,” he said.
Sharma added that a long-term tender for five years covering waste collection and management had already been floated and would be opened soon. “We are committed to keeping the city clean under all circumstances. Multiple teams are monitoring the situation to ensure timely garbage removal from roads,” he assured.
Kapil Nagpal, Municipal Councillor from Ward 7, said no vehicle from the private agency came to his ward on Tuesday for door-to-door garbage collection. However, the municipal corporation authorities had deployed some sanitary workers to manage the waste. “The MC Commissioner has assured us that a tender for the work will be released soon,” he added.
Haryana Tribune