Mumbai: Amid recurrent criticism over reliance on consultancy firms for supervisory roles, the BMC administration has sought the approval of the civic standing committee to appoint govt-owned PSU RITES as a consultant for the modernisation of five dry waste segregation centres.Citing a shortage of dedicated manpower to oversee its solid waste management projects, BMC said its existing officers are unable to devote their full time to project planning, tendering, quality control and supervision due to their administrative responsibilities. Officials from the solid waste management (SWM) department said the consultant, which will be paid about Rs 93 lakh, has the required expertise and has already carried out some work on the project. The proposed project aims to upgrade the centres into material recovery facilities to improve recycling and reduce dependence on landfills. The consultant’s mandate will include technical evaluation and project preparation, site inspections, preparation of feasibility reports and tender documents, assistance with the tendering process, and technical supervision. Currently, 6,500-7,000 tonnes of solid waste is collected in the city every day. Of this, 30-40% is dry waste, including plastic, paper and other recyclable materials. There are 41 dry waste centres in the city. “Segregation at these centres is currently being carried out largely by ragpickers manually. BMC intends to mechanise the process by installing baling machines, conveyor systems and segregation units to improve working conditions and speed up the segregation process. The waste will be separated into saleable and non-saleable materials. The saleable material generates revenue for NGOs and ragpickers working at these centres, while the non-saleable material is sent to the Kanjurmarg dumping ground,” said a civic official. Congress’s Ashraf Azmi questioned the need for a consultant. “SWM department has a planning wing. Why do you want to appoint consultants for every work? Eventually, BMC will end up outsourcing even basic services.” Coordinator of NGO Agni Rajkumar Sharma said, “By and large, the waste segregation process has not taken off in the city. The civic body should look at other countries and try to implement those measures here.”
