The Indian Express              06.01.2014

BMC, CRISIL join hands for ‘enhanced’ civic services

The BMC's solid waste management (SWM) department has tied up with global analytical company CRISIL to create mechanisms with which the corporation can enhance civic services in accordance with the standards set by the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India.

In 2008, the ministry had introduced Service-Level Benchmarks (SLBs) for some basic municipal services — water supply, sewerage, solid waste management and storm water drainage. These benchmarks were set in order to "facilitate critical reforms in the urban sector".

With CRISIL, the BMC will analyse the status of these basic services and come up with time-bound solutions to solve any problems it finds.

The All India Institute of Local Self-Government was appointed last year to carry out a study on the issue.

The BMC has declared that for the next two financial years, it will work to achieve the SLBs of 100 per cent house-to-house collection and waste segregation. The corporation says that it has already achieved 70 per cent of its target for house-to-house collection.

"We have achieved considerable success in house-to-house collection, even in slum areas, through the Swachcha Mumbai Prabodhan Abhiyan programme and are currently working on real-time monitoring," said deputy municipal commissioner Prakash Patil.

He added that the BMC is working on removing the human element in the monitoring of all services. Instead of assigning officers to inspect the work, it will be monitored from the offices through live feeds.

Other SLBs for the SWM sector prescribed by the ministry include 100 per cent efficiency in garbage collection, 100 per cent collection of solid waste, 80 per cent recovery of collected waste through recycling, 100 per cent scientific disposal of municipal solid waste, 100 per cent extent of cost recovery in SWM services and 90 per cent efficiency in collection of SWM charges.