Chennai: Alleging large scale corruption in tenders announced by the Chennai Corporation for solid waste management, Chennai-based anti-corruption NGO, Arappor Iyakkam demanded that government scrap the Rs 4,000 crore project. It alleged that the Chennai Corporation had committed irregularities in tenders floated for collection and transportation of garbage from 11 zones.
The city generates about 3,200 tonnes of garbage every day. Solid waste collected from bins in 15 zones is split between Chennai's two dumping yards — Kodungaiyur and Perungudi.
The civic body has floated tenders for collection and transportation of garbage from 11 zones and divided it into three packages at a total value of ` 4,000 crore. Nearly 95 per cent of the total waste will be taken to landfills.
The proposed tenders allegedly carried data and instructions in violation of the Solid Waste Management rules 2016.
Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of Arappor Iyakkam said that the SWM rules and by-laws state that only a minimal residue should be taken to the landfills. However, the Corporation plans to take 95 per cent of the waste to landfills. The minimum guarantee has been extended to 8 years with an increase in the amount of waste to the landfill every year. He feared that if the tender is processed, one crore tonnes of waste will be dumped at the Perungudi yard in the next 8 years.
The tender allegedly violates SWM rules that call for biodegradable waste to be composted or used in bio-methanation units. According to the tender, 358 tonnes or 90 per cent of total biodegradable waste collected will not be disposed off as per the rules. The waste will be transported to Kodungaiyur, and this is in contradiction to the existing rule. Similarly, 99.9 per cent of recyclable waste will allegedly be transported to Kodungaiyur and not sorted or recycled at a decentralised material recovery facility.
However, Corporation sources denied the allegations and stated that the tenders are floated as per the norms.
