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Madurai: With the contract for Madurai’s current private contractor for solid waste management coming to a close without being extended, and in a push to overhaul civic cleanliness and sanitation infrastructure, Madurai corporation has floated fresh tenders for a comprehensive Rs 270-crore end-to-end solid waste management project. The 18-month contract aims to streamline garbage collection, transportation, processing, and facility maintenance across 81 wards in the city and will come into effect in Dec. The project covers Zone 1, 2, 3, and 5 excluding Ward 84. Corporation sanitation workers will support the contractor selected in ward 84 and zone 4, and work together to boost cleanliness operations across the city Collection vehicles will feature dedicated, colour-coded compartments for different waste streams and will be fitted with GPS tracking systems for real-time monitoring.
The move follows mass complaints and unanimous demands by residents and councillors to stop using the contractor for waste management. The selected service provider will undertake door-to-door collection of waste segregated as wet, dry, sanitary and special care directly from households, commercial establishments, bus stands and municipal markets. Primary collection vehicles will have audio announcements to broadcast awareness messages regarding source segregation daily. The civic overhaul also includes daily manual and mechanical street sweeping, cleaning and garbage removal at bus stands and municipal markets, pruning of trees, cutting of overgrown branches, clearing of bushes along roadsides, and regular desilting of storm water drains. The agency will operate and maintain key municipal infrastructure, including transfer stations at Thathaneri and Kochadai and various micro composting centres (MCCs).
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“Anything would be an improvement on the mismanagement the current contractor is doing,“ said S Shankar, a resident, citing the lack of daily waste collection in around 75% of the city. However, social activist V P Manikandan said it was still possible for existing contractor Ourland to return. “There are very few contractors with the revenue needed to take over waste management for an entire city,” he said. A senior corporation official said the new tender will have far stricter checks and balances to ensure that the contractor is performing well. “Failure to meet expectations can result in immediate termination of the contract,” the official said. “This will reduce the load on the workers and increase efficient waste clearing,” the official said.
The civic body promises heightened accountability through an integrated 24×7 complaint redressal system, closing operational grievances in six hours. The tender calls upon the contractor to support an increased workforce of sanitation workers in fewer wards, as they will be supported by the corporation as well. Download the TOI App.