The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is set to overhaul and improve solid waste management services for residents of Anna Nagar and Tondiarpet zones. This move comes after the civic body cancelled the previous privatization tender on December 4 due to administrative reasons and is now preparing revised, more comprehensive tenders.
Revised Tenders with Expanded Scope
According to C A Balamurali, the chief engineer for solid waste management, the new tenders will feature a significantly improved scope of work. The revised contracts will not only cover regular door-to-door collection but also include handling of bulk waste, collection from Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenements, and management of beaches within the Tondiarpet zone.
The expanded mandate will also cover the collection of hazardous waste, along with clearing and maintaining parks, playgrounds, and crematoriums. Balamurali indicated that the budget for the project is being revised and the fresh tendering process is likely to be completed by February.
Addressing Scale and Worker Concerns
The scale of operations is substantial. Together, these two zones generate close to 1,000 tonnes of waste daily and employ around 2,500 sanitation workers, which includes 868 permanent GCC staff. The previous global tender for waste collection and transportation in these areas was valued at over ₹2,000 crore.
DMK's council leader from Anna Nagar, N Ramalingam, highlighted that the earlier tender was put on hold following protests by sanitation workers from these zones, including Ambattur. "Hence, we held back. The new tenders will have appropriate salaries, and their issues will be accounted for too," he assured, indicating that worker welfare will be a key consideration in the revised contracts.
Residents and Local Demands
Once the privatization is implemented, only 11 wards in the Ambattur zone will remain directly under GCC's management. This is because 14 out of the city's 15 zones, along with four wards in Ambattur, will be operated by private agencies.
Residents have welcomed the move, citing changing urban landscapes. V Sandhya, a resident of Anna Nagar's M-Block, noted the area's high commercial growth. "Apart from door-to-door collection, they should target businesses who pollute the most," she suggested. She recalled that two decades ago, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and organizations like Exnora ensured timely collection, but the surge in commercial establishments has made the process difficult to manage.
From Tondiarpet, resident G K Rajesh Kumar urged the corporation to include the Kasimedu fishing harbour in the waste collection ambit. "Parts of the harbour and market fall under Tondiarpet zone, and the fish waste is dumped along the coast," he pointed out, emphasizing the need for specialized cleanup in that area.
The upcoming retendering process by the Greater Chennai Corporation represents a critical step towards addressing long-standing civic issues in these densely populated zones, aiming for a more systematic and responsive waste management system.
