Gurgaon: MCG on Thursday initiated the process to hire two firms to manage the city’s door-to-door waste collection, floating a tender estimated at Rs 606 crore and dividing the city into two operational clusters.Cluster 1 (zones 1 and 2) spans 138.4 sq km, covers a population of 9.4 lakh, generates around 519 tonnes of waste per day, and comprises 3.1 lakh establishments across 18 wards. Cluster 2 (zones 3 and 4) is larger — 159.2 sq km, population 10.39 lakh, 571.9 tonnes of daily waste, 2.7 lakh establishments and 18 wards.Specific penalties have been prescribed for failure in door-to-door collection — contractors will be fined Rs 50 per residential establishment per day for each instance where waste is not collected. For non-residential establishments, the penalty will be Rs 100 per establishment per day, calculated based on the number of units and the number of days of non-collection.The scope of work includes door-to-door collection of segregated waste and its transportation to the Bandhwari landfill site, which serves as the processing location for both clusters. MCG has identified four transfer stations for secondary collection in each cluster; land for these facilities has been demarcated and is free from encumbrances. Despite segregation at source being mandated, however, all waste streams are ultimately processed at the same site.Vehicles must be compartmentalised for separate collection of wet and dry waste; if waste is found mixed due to non-compliant transport, a penalty of 1.5 times the quoted rate per tonne will be charged on the mixed quantity.The civic body has introduced a graded penalty system linked to collection efficiency, kicking in after the first 30 days of operations. No penalty applies at 98% efficiency or above. Below that, deductions from the monthly bill are graduated: 1% for 90%-97%, 2% for 80%-89%, 3% for 70%-79%, 4% for 60%-69%, and 5% for 50%-59%. Efficiency below 50% attracts a steep 10% penalty. For missed collections, contractors face Rs 50 per residential unit per day and Rs 100 per non-residential establishment per day.Ward-level monitoring committees constituted by MCG will oversee agency performance on the ground. The move follows repeated delays in awarding the contract, which left the city’s waste management system under strain. “The tendering process is expected to take at least another month to conclude,” a senior MCG official told TOI.
