Punjab Newsline | Jalandhar
Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has approved a long-awaited Solid Waste Management Project worth nearly ₹600 crore, paving the way for a major overhaul of the city's waste collection and processing system. The project received clearance from the Corporation's Finance and Contracts Committee and will soon be placed before the House for final approval after financial revisions.
Both tenders related to the project have been awarded to BVG India Limited, which will take charge of door-to-door garbage collection and waste processing across the city. Under the plan, household waste will be collected daily and transported to processing facilities, where wet waste will be converted into organic compost.
The project was initially proposed for a three-year period, but was later extended to eight years after private firms showed little interest in setting up processing infrastructure for a shorter contract duration. The Municipal Corporation will pay the contractor approximately ₹75 crore annually for executing the project.
The approval came during the Finance Committee meeting held on Wednesday, where civic works worth around ₹675 crore were sanctioned. Besides the waste management project, development works worth nearly ₹75 crore related to roads, parks, tubewells, water supply and sewerage were also approved.
To ensure transparency and efficiency, all waste collection vehicles will be equipped with GPS tracking systems, while a dedicated mobile application will enable officials to monitor operations in real time. Waste collected from households will be transported to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), where advanced machinery will segregate recyclable and organic waste.
A modern waste processing plant will be established at the Wariana dump site. The Municipal Corporation has already purchased nine acres of land adjacent to the dump site for the facility. The plant will use advanced technology to process wet waste and produce organic manure.
According to the project's detailed report, around 450 small vehicles will be deployed for door-to-door collection, with a target of collecting 631 metric tonnes of waste daily. One vehicle, staffed by a driver and two helpers, will serve approximately 700 households. The company is expected to recruit more than 1,800 employees for the project.
However, employee unions have begun opposing the project and are expected to raise concerns in the coming days. Mayor Vineet Dhir, Deputy Mayor Malkiat Singh, committee members Kavita Seth and Hitesh Grewal attended the meeting, while Joint Commissioner Dr. Mandeep Kaur oversaw administrative proceedings.
