
Zero-waste zones in Gurgaon: Set 5k-home target for complete segregation, corporations told
Gurgaon: The Urban Local Bodies (ULB) department has directed
MCG and MCF
to enforce
source segregation plans
and implement them in at least five residential colonies, which will be tagged as
zero-waste zones
. ULB secretary and commissioner Vikas Gupta told the corporations that they should implement a zone-wise and pilot-based strategy.The initial targets to achieve 100% segregation were set at 5,000 households for the corporations, 2,000 households for municipal councils and 500 households for municipal committees.
These households are expected to deliver 100% segregated waste to the concessionaire."It was discussed in the meeting that MCG and MCF specifically should make at least five zero waste colonies each. Zero waste implies complete segregation at source points, ensuring that dry waste reaches recyclers while wet waste goes for composting. Joint commissioners received specific targets, aiming at achieve complete segregation across a minimum of 5,000 households initially," said an MCG official, and raised concern that the officers, who had the prime responsibility to implement the plan, were transferred recently."We have been writing to MCG for the last eight years ever since the Solid Waste Management (SWM) rules, 2016. If MCG can do it now since there are directions from the ULB department, it would be a welcome move. The civic body now needs to be serious about segregation and implementing the zero-waste plan," said Vaishali Rana, an environmental activist.According to the SWM rules, 2016, every waste generator shall segregate garbage and dump it in three separate streams — biodegradable, non-biodegradable and domestic hazardous—in suitable bins and hand over it to authorised waste collectors.However, mixed waste is currently getting collected and reaches Bandhwari landfill. TOI reported on May 7 that MCG carried out a characterisation survey of waste generated in the city. Plastic materials constitute 20-25% of the total waste in the city. Food and green waste accounts for 20-24%, while soil and sand content ranges between 20 and 24%. In the absence of decentralised waste processing and segregation, all of this ends up at the landfill.

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Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
2 years on, this is Gurgaon's model road
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The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
No public-friendly markets or market-friendly waste disposal in Bengaluru
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The pathways are barely walkable, filled with slush after every rain. Beyond the busy weekends that exacerbate the chaos, the market is virtually empty on weekdays. Haphazard waste management Bengaluru Praja Vedike founder Mukunda N.S. says that poor waste management is the fundamental problem with the markets. 'The waste has to be cleared effectively, not in a haphazard manner,' he says. 'There should be a permanent mechanism in all the markets, where the waste is cleared every two hours. The frequency should be even higher during festival times. The waste collectors should be stationed there itself,' he elaborates. The market waste, he says, should be transported to the processing centres through a system that is infallible. 'The BBMP is now charging a fee for Solid Waste Management from everybody, including bulk generators. Let them collect and use the money there. The waste collection and transport process should be monitored by a committee. Some checks and balances have to be devised to ensure payment only after satisfactory completion of the work.' Trash is a big problem at the Banashankari open market, which extends on the footpath along the Kanakpura Road between two Metro Stations. The waste accumulates by the hour, but is cleared only twice a day or less. To streamline waste collection and address congestion and chaos, the Praja Vedike had suggested building an underground plaza at Banashankari Circle with space for 150 stalls and eight exits. But this proposal made to former Minister R. Ashoka was not followed up, recalls Mukunda. Rampant use of plastic The rampant use of plastic has emerged as a key issue with the markets. Shanthi Tummala, a founding member of the HSR Citizen's Forum and a member of the Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), says plastic was the main pain point why she stopped going to the Madiwala market. 'It has been nine years since the plastic ban came into force, in 2016. I don't understand why the markets are not getting rid of plastic. As a sustainability practitioner and motivator, I feel de-motivated and depressed,' she laments. The solution is simple, she notes. 'All vendors should come on one page and say they will not give plastic covers. Within a week, the change will come. Most people who come to the markets are regular customers who buy vegetables for the entire week. Once they realise they don't get plastic covers, they will get their own bags. Besides, a stall should sell cloth and paper bags. Let customers spend ₹20-30, and get that bag every time.' Pushcart vendors, Shanthi points out, save ₹3,000 per month when they don't give plastic covers. 'Imagine how much the Madiwala market vendors can save. What is required is they should all come on one page. They should make it a habit.' Process wet waste locally Besides, the wet waste generated should be processed locally, right inside the market premises. As she puts it, 'A strict initiative should be launched. Tax payers' money should be spent on sustainable waste management. Let them take up composting or biogas or whatever. Let them take it as a challenge and install this in one market as a pilot to start with.' Lack of a planned, structured approach has left several open markets morph into chaotic congestion magnets. Crying out for attention are markets in Hebbal and K.R. Puram, where wholesale supply vehicles, heavy traffic and vendor outlets trigger extreme congestion. 'Located right next to the main road, the Hebbal market is very crowded. And with the flyover and Metro works in progress, the entire place is dirty, disorganised and in a big mess,' says Shabina Jinarajan, a Hebbal resident and teacher, stressing on the dire need for segregated markets with proper parking and waste clearance. Underground market issues An underground market – an air-conditioned one at that – opened with much fanfare in Vijayanagar, has run into problems. Modeled after New Delhi's iconic Palika Bazar, the city's Palike Bazar has reportedly been taken over by more than 25 vendors without official allotment by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Built at a cost of ₹13 crore, the market was opened to the public in August 2024. But nobody goes there, notes Vinay K. Sreenivasa from the Alternative Law Forum, a long-time campaigner for vendor rights and welfare. 'It is an absolute waste. The market has no proper ventilation or proper toilets. They had cut many trees to build that. Instead of the money spent on the AC structure, they could have refurbished the roadside market next to the Metro Station for about ₹50 lakh,' he contends. The old market had grown organically over the last three decades with local residents as the main customers. Most of the Palike's built markets are now being demolished. 'They are trying to build multi-storied markets, which is not working. In Malleswaram, they demolished the flower market. It was old but could have been refurbished. It was open and had air circulation. Now, how will you sell flowers in a multi-storied building? Who will climb three floors to buy flowers? The building is now incomplete, and the vendors are on the road. They were shopkeepers before. They also demolished the market near Cox Town,' notes Vinay.


Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Crumbling water supply infra in Gurgaon leaves families in Sushant Lok 1 high & dry
Gurgaon: Outdated motors, "five-minutes of water supply" and pipelines that are simply not enough or are non-functional — Sushant Lok 1 residents are a harried lot. "Hollow assurances and no action," is the common refrain among residents of Sushant Lok 1 who are reeling under an acute water crisis this summer. In one of the posh localities in the city, hundreds of families in C and C1 blocks have been receiving little to no supply for over 70 days. Residents have demanded a complete overhaul of the water supply system, including the replacement of old pipelines, motors and tubewell machinery. Private tankers costing "anywhere between Rs 800 and Rs 1,200 depending on demand" have burnt holes in the pockets of the residents — in absence of water supply — they say. RWA president of Sushant Lok 1 Deepak Verma says, "None of the four boosting stations are running at full capacity. Motors are outdated, control panels frequently break down and pipelines — many just four inches in diameter — cannot meet the colony's growing demand." MCG took over the colony from the developer in 2019, but residents say the civic body has done little to upgrade the decades-old infrastructure. Built in the 1990s, the colony's water system was designed to serve a much smaller population and now it relies on GMDA's supply, which is further supplemented by 19 tubewells — only four of which are functional — serving more than 4,000 families in the affected blocks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Has Honda Done It Again? The New Honda CR-V is Finally Here. TheFactualist Undo Despite repeated complaints and meetings with officials of the MCG, residents say they have received only assurances. MCG executive engineer Sanjeev Kumar told TOI efforts are being made to address the issue. Kumar said. "We prepared the estimate for the upgradation of boosting stations and are awaiting approval. We prepared the proposal for three more tubewells to supplement the shortfall of GMDA's supply and it is under process." Anil Sharma, a resident of C Block who has lived here for the last 25 years, says, "This happens every summer for the last five years, but this year is the worst." Sharma says, "We are getting barely four-five minutes of water on some days. We are entirely dependent on private tankers. MCG hasn't provided a single tanker." Deepak Verma says a new underground tank was recently constructed in C Block, but key components such as the non-return valve (NRV) have not been installed. Meanwhile, the C-1 Block tubewell is not connected with a power supply, leaving hundreds of families without a backup water source. Residents are also seeking the installation of 10 additional tubewells, urgent repair of long-pending leakages and deployment of more ground-level staff for routine maintenance. Verma says, "Even when the motors are repaired, they break down again within 24 hours. This patchwork approach is not working anymore. Over 500 families have been without potable water for months. The entire system is collapsing and no one is taking responsibility."