Urban News

The Deccan Chronicle  24.11.2010

Nov. 23: The Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode may be favoured by experts, but it has its own problems. A Rs 897 crore PPP project in Greater Hyderabad limits is yet to take off as workers and employees’ unions of the GHMC are opposing it.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and M/s Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd entered into an agreement to develop an integrated solid waste management project, at an estimated cost of Rs 897 crore, after getting clearance from the Cabinet. The agreement was signed in February 2009.

Ramky had to commence its operations within six months of the date of agreement. Within a period of two years from the commencement of commercial operations, the agency has to establish all processes including treatment, disposal and development of a scientific landfill as per MSW Rules 2000.

The project envisaged primary collection and secondary collection of garbage from door to door, transportation up to transfer station, and transportation from transfer station to the disposal site.

It was to take up composting, establish power plants to produce power out of municipal solid waste, develop scientific landfill facilities, construct eight transfer stations and reclaim and re-use existing dump sites.

However, one-and-a-half-years after the agreement was signed, Ramky is struggling to execute the project and is yet to start door to door garbage collection.

First, the elected body of 150 corporators opposed the project and alleged that crores of rupees were given on a platter to a private agency.

The BJP floor leader in the GHMC, Mr Bangari Prakash, asked how a civic body could hand over all its responsibility to a private agency.

“If the private agency will do the job of GHMC, then what will the corporation do? Will it confine itself to giving building permissions and make money?” he asked.

Subsequently, the GHMC sanitation employees and workers’ unions went on a flash strike and brought all garbage clearance operations in the city to a halt. The union leaders said they would not allow Ramky to lift and transport the garbage within the city limits, seeing this as a threat to their own jobs.

The GHMC additional commissioner (health/sanitation), Mr Sk. Aleem Basha, says negotiations are on between the union leaders, Ramky representatives and GHMC officials for an amicable solution.