According to GVMC sources, the agreement inked by the state government with Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd
(REEL) in the third quarter of 2011-12 to improve sanitary conditions
of both Vizag and Hyderabad, is posing to be the main hurdle to the
rollout of the CGV programme.

“We made all the arrangements to
launch the CGV project and were busy mobilizing the required Rs 4 crore
funds to successfully run the ‘dustbin free’ programme in the city from
Ugadi onwards, but unfortunately it has been put on hold due to REEL’s
tie-up with the state government for overall solid waste management,” a
senior GVMC officer in the medical and health department revealed.

As per the MoU with the company, the collection of waste and its
recycling was to be done by REEL, with the civic bodies of Hyderabad and
Vizag playing no role except paying REEL for cleaning the city.

But GVMC was forced to go back on the MoU after facing stiff resistance
from its 5000-odd sanitary workers, who have raised a stink over the
involvement of REEL in the project as they fear they would lose their
jobs. This had forced GVMC to devise its own solid waste management plan
under the CGV project.

While admitting that the MoU with REEL
was delaying the CGV, GVMC commissioner MV Satyanarayana said that the
civic body had recently written a letter to the state government seeking
an assurance that REEL would not interfere in GVMC’s project. “The
letter was written few days ago. We are yet to receive a reply from the
government. We hope that the government will positively respond to our
pleas and we can start the CGV soon after receiving the green signal. If
all goes well, the programme is likely to be launched in May,”
Satyanarayana said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of GVMC’s sanitary
workers union said they would stall the CGV project even if the REEL
issue was sorted out. The union has been opposing the CGV project as
well as REEL’s intervention tooth and nail from the very beginning.

The honorary president of GVMC Employees and Workers Union, M Ananda
Rao, said that nearly 5,000 sanitary staff would face health problems if
they were to segregate the waste by hand as part of the CGV project.
“We welcome the programme if everything is completely mechanized. If
not, we are ready to go on an indefinite strike if the CGV is launched
against the sanitary workers’ wishes,” Rao said.

However, the
GVMC chief said that the programme would benefit all stakeholders, right
from residents to sanitary workers thanks to the scientific disposal of
the city’s waste under CGV. “The workers will not face any health
problems. On the contrary, they will be given incentives. CGV is a 100
per cent clean and green project,” Satyanarayana added.

The
GVMC CGV programme intends to cover all 72 wards in the city that
generates about 1000 tonnes of garbage a day. GVMC spends Rs 10 crore
annually on garbage collection and disposal with the help of nearly
5,000 sanitary workers and 425 vehicles are used to transport the waste
to a dump yard at Kapuluppada on the city outskirts.

If the CGV
project gets implemented, the waste will be segregated into wet and dry
garbage at the doorstep of the residents itself, with each household
being given two different coloured bins. A total of 1,340 routes have
been identified by GVMC for collecting the waste as part of the CGV.

Wait gets longer

GVMC’s ‘garbage segregation at doorstep’ plan likely to be delayed

Ramky’s tie-up with govt as well as 5000 GVMC workers’ opposition stymies green project

Workers’ voice concern over health risk due to manual segregation of garbage

GVMC promises a complete mechanized system of segregation, also seeks
assurance from govt that Ramky would not interfere in the project