NEWS

The Coimbatore Corporation plans to begin in January next year privatised door-to-door collection of garbage in nine model wards in the city.

Terming this public-private partnership (PPP), the Corporation is preparing to invite bids from parties that want to team up with the civic body in primary collection of garbage.

A corporation official involved in the implementation of the Rs.96-crore integrated solid waste management scheme says the Council has approved the PPP initiative and it will be tried out as a pilot project in wards 3, 6, 16, 23, 24, 25, 43, 49 and 63.

The scheme is being implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), with 50 per cent of the project cost being met by grants from the Central Government. On October 23, 2009, the Corporation began door-to-door collection of waste using its conservancy workers. Now, the civic body wants to try the PPP mode, seeing it as a way to overcome shortage of workers.

This system will be extended to the other 63 wards in the city, depending on the success of the pilot project. Segregation of waste (biodegradable and non-biodegradable) in separate bins will be mandatory.

Under the new initiative, penalty will be imposed on houses or commercial establishments that do not segregate waste. Garbage collection fees is to be paid because the JNNURM says user charges are mandatory for sustaining projects.

The private party that may be identified will also sensitise the public to the need for segregation and user fee.