BJP leader Harmohan hits out at Chandigarh civic body for taking over waste collection duties

Senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan Thursday hit out at the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, saying the civic body had "acted in haste" and was "ill-prepared" when taking over waste collection duties from private players in the city.

Senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan Thursday hit out at the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, saying the civic body had "acted in haste" and was "ill-prepared" when taking over waste collection duties from private players in the city.

In a letter addressed to Punjab governor and Chandigarh's Administrator V P Singh Badnore, the former union minister said, "Fifteen days ago, the municipal corporation in haste and without preparation decided to take over the responsibility of door-to-door garbage collection. Following this decision, about 3,000 door-to-door garbage collectors have gone on an indefinite strike. Heaps of garbage are lying on the side of roads and in greenbelts. There is a stink all around. The corporation has miserably failed to lift garbage from the various sectors in Chandigarh."

In the last two weeks, garbage collection has been hit in Chandigarh. The waste collectors' indefinite protest reportedly started when the municipal corporation decided to take over garbage collection duties from private players.

Complains have been pouring into government offices from different parts of the city regarding corporation vehicles not collecting waste from the houses. It may be noted that BJP has a majority in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

In his letter, Dhawan requested the administrator to intervene and end the "stalemate" between the corporation and the door-to-door garbage collectors.

He recalled that about 16 months ago on June 5, 2017, Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher "distributed waste paper baskets without lids as garbage bins under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. No one used these bins which were a total waste."

"At that time the administration had said wet and dry garbage will be segregated, recycled and brought to use. The municipal corporation since then did not take any concrete steps to make the public aware and educate them about the segregation of waste," he claimed.

Dhawan alleged that the municipal corporation has failed on all fronts and "even the high court has many a time reprimanded the officials for their negligence to control the menace of stray dogs, parking, cleaning of public toilets, etc."

"Sir, I request you to intervene to end this stalemate so that the door-to-door garbage collectors are back to their normal work and the residents are relieved of the difficulties they are facing," he concluded in the letter.