Gurgaon: Even as illegal dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste continues unabated, the city’s only authorised C&D waste processing facility has allegedly stopped accepting debris from private builders, contractors, developers and residents, potentially worsening an already serious waste management crisis. MCG has now stepped in, directing its concessionaire to immediately resume accepting waste from all eligible private generators and warning of penalties, recovery of costs and even termination of the contract for any further refusal.In a notice now sent to the unit on Monday, MCG said the agency’s refusal to accept C&D waste from private entities, without prior approval of the corporation, amounted to a violation of the concession agreement. The civic body observed that the move led to accumulation of construction debris, indiscriminate dumping at unauthorised locations and public inconvenience, besides violating the C&D Waste Management Rules, 2016.The notice records that the agency cited pending or incomplete assessments of waste generation as the reason for denying acceptance. MCG has categorically clarified that the responsibility of assessing the quantity of C&D waste lies exclusively with the junior engineers of the corporation concerned with the respective areas and is not part of the agency’s contractual responsibilities. The notice further states that the agency has no authority to refuse or withhold acceptance of waste on this ground and that such an assessment cannot be treated as a valid basis for denying service at the processing facility. The civic body has warned that continued defiance may result in financial penalties, recovery of costs and termination of the agency’s contract.However, the agency’s representative Dinesh Kumar refuted all allegations, saying, “MCG has authorised us to take 1,200 TPD from the civic body with no limit of such intake from the private entities and others. However, the HSPCB has proposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on us stating that we are operating beyond capacity, which as per their consent is 300 TPD.”Councillors have also alleged irregularities in the collection of processing charges. They claim the concessionaire has been charging more than Rs 700 per tonne for accepting construction waste, despite the MCG-approved rate being Rs 220 per tonne, terming the alleged overcharging a “major scam”.“The agency has been charging more than Rs 700 per tonne as against the MCG’s rate of Rs 205 per tonne. This will unfold into a big scam,” said ward 11 councillor Kuldeep Yadav.On this, the company representative said, “There are three set of rates notified by the MCG and I have a copy of all the rates. It includes Rs 205 per tonne for the C&D waste transported to our Basai facility, Rs 360 for the segregated C&D waste collection by us and Rs 720 for unsegregated waste collection by us. We have been called for a meeting this week and I will submit my replies stating all this since I have documentary proof.”Reiterating the contractual obligations, MCG has reminded the agency that it is required to accept C&D waste delivered to its doorstep or processing facility from every legitimate source without discrimination. This includes waste transported through MCG’s own collection vehicles, waste brought by private contractors, builders and developers, waste delivered directly by residents and private entities, as well as waste routed through authorised transporters engaged by waste generators.
