Chandigarh stinks as Jaypee plant refuses to accept garbage

Dadumajra residents, who are fed up of the unhygienic conditions in the area, are up in arms and not allowing garbage to be thrown at the dumping ground.

City residents are at the receiving end as heaps of garbage have piled up in various localities for the past two days.

The municipal corporation’s garbage collection vehicles lined up outside the Jaypee plant at Dadumajra in Chandigarh on Thursday.(Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)

Reason: The Jaypee processing plant has refused to accept any garbage, as it says 6,000 tonnes of unprocessed refuse is still lying on the premises.

Meanwhile, Dadumajra residents, who are fed up of the unhygienic conditions in the area, are up in arms and not allowing garbage to be thrown at the dumping ground.

For this reason, garbage has not been lifted from Sehaj Safai Kendras and even the streets in the city.

All municipal corporation vehicles used for transporting garbage are parked in front of the garbage plant, as the Jaypee management is not allowing entry.

ALL ABOUT THE TUSSLE

The genesis: The MC-Jaypee tussle started over the non-payment of +1,000-per-tonne tipping (processing) fee. The firm, which started operations in 2005, threatened to shut the plant in March last year claiming it is suffering +50 lakh losses per month. The MC rejected the demand and asked the firm to upgrade the plant. The firm in April asked the MC to either pay the money or take over the plant

What has been NGT’s role: After the company suspended the operations in July last year, the MC approached the National Green Tribunal. The NGT asked the plant authorities to resume operations before July 27, to which they agreed. Later, on August 30, the NGT directed the MC chief to resolve the issue amicably once for all. After, the plant failed to fulfil its contractual commitment, the tribunal on May 24 this year told it to accept all the 450-tonne garbage produced daily in city or face action

Why is plant not accepting garbage: Even as the Jaypee plant assured the MC on July 11 that it will accept all garbage, it has closed its gates for the MC vehicles carrying the refuse. The firm claims it still has 6,000-tonne garbage lying unprocessed on the premises. “We are in the process of streamlining the system. The MC has to give us some time,” says Jaypee Group company secretary Harish Vaidhya.

What next: The MC is holding talks with the Jaypee engineers as well as Dadumajra residents, who are protesting against dumping of garbage at the ground, on Friday. “We are hopeful things will be sorted out soon,” says MC joint commissioner Manoj Khatri.

UNENDING ROW

The tussle between the civic body and the plant started when the Jaypee management threatened to shut the plant on March 31 last year over non-payment of tipping fee (processing fee), claiming they were suffering a loss of Rs 50 lakh per month.

As the MC refused to change its stance, the company suspended its operations in July 2016.

The MC approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which asked the plant authorities to resume operations. Later, it also asked the municipal commissioner to resolve the issue amicably.

As the plant was processing only about 50-tonne garbage daily, the NGT in May this year directed it to accept all 450-tonne garbage produced by the city as per the agreement with the MC, or face action .

After the MC House resolved to terminate the contract with the Jaypee Group on June 9, the plant on July 11 assured to accept all garbage and even install a compost plant for 300 tonnes.

But for the past two days, the plant is not accepting any garbage for treatment.

‘WILL TAKE TWO WEEKS’

“We are in the process of streamlining the system. The MC has to give us some time. Everything will be streamlined shortly,” said Harish Vaidhya, Jaypee Group company secretary. Sources said it will take at least two weeks to process the existing garbage on the premises.

Councillor Rajesh Kalia, a Dadumajra resident, who has been protesting for past several days, said: “It is shameful on the part of the MC that it is taking no action against the plant authorities. We will not allow dumping of garbage at the ground.”

Narinder Chaudhary, Dadumajra Dalit Chetna Manch president, said, “We fail to understand how the MC can be so insensitive towards our area. The plant workers throw tonnes of garbage at the dump every day, without processing it. We have been complaining of foul smell and are suffering from skin diseases.”

The MC officials said they are holding talks with both the protesters and Jaypee engineers on Friday. MC joint commissioner Manoj Khatri said he was hopeful things will be sorted out soon.

NO RESPITE

“It is unfortunate the MC has failed to sort out the issue. Bins are overflowing for the past two days while officers are sitting comfortably in their AC rooms.” --Baljinder Singh Bittu, president, Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh 

“The authorities have been talking about making Chandigarh a smart city, but have even failed to find a solution to the problem of garbage collection and disposal.”-- SK Khosla, Sec-40 MIG houses welfare association 

“It is sad that the BJP is playing politics even when the city is suffering. Why can’t it convince the protestors to let the MC throw the garbage at the dumping ground?”  -- Devinder Singh Babla, Congress councillor