Mira Bhayandar: Fund crunch hits MBMC's garbage treatment work in Uttan

Garbage disposal woes seem to be unending for the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC). The lone solid waste management facility and treatment plant in Dhaavgi village area of Uttan near Bhayandar has come to a grinding halt due to non-payment of dues to the concerned contractor.

Consequently, dozens of garbage pick-up trucks have lined-up outside the plant. Apart from 8 to 10 tonnes of industrial and bio medical waste, the civic administration is saddled with a daunting task of disposing off an overload of more than 450 metric tonnes of garbage generated by the twin-city every day.

To ensure disposal in a scientific manner as per the Solid Waste Management Rules-2016, the civic administration has hired a Gujarat-based company to process the segregated dry and wet garbage into compost and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for industrial use on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis.

As per the clauses inked in the agreement, the MBMC has to clear the dues of the contractor within 60 days. However, payments amounting to ₹ 1.25 crore has remained pending for the past four months, prompting the contractor to abruptly stop further work, sources said.

"Garbage lifting and processing comes under essential services. Stopping such work is uncalled for. We have released some part of the pending payment and directed the contractor to resume processing work at the earliest failing which we will slap an official notice on them," said deputy municipal commissioner-Ravi Pawar.

“Most of our pick-up vans and compactors are lined up outside the plant, if the issue is not resolved at the earliest, our sanitation workers will not be in a position to lift and ferry garbage leading to unhealthy circumstances due to the accumulated waste all over the twin-city,” said a truck operator requesting anonymity.