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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
MC chief owns up to Mohali's drop in Swachh rankings
1 2 Mohali: In a first, the MC Commissioner owned up to the drop in rank to 11 in Swachh Survekshan, citing multiple reasons for the failure, with source segregation being primary. MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh pointed out the Indore model during the MC house meeting. While addressing the house on Friday, he took responsibility, saying that he alone cannot improve the situation as it has to be a collective effort of the councillors and ward residents. He said in Indore, the public itself became self-disciplined and managed garbage on its own at the source, and the IMC further processed segregated garbage. However, in Mohali, residents are habitual of throwing mixed garbage into nearby small dumps and then expect the MC to act and achieve a top position in Swachh Survekshan. Parminder said, "I fully take responsibility for the drop in Mohali's rank from 1st to 11th in Swachh Survekshan. Now we will think and work on the ground to get Mohali on top, not just in ranking but physically. For this, the MC needs the full support of councillors who are public representatives, and they must further go and motivate residents to manage the garbage religiously. Then we have plans to put a QR code outside every house so that whenever a garbage collector comes to pick up garbage, he will access the QR code, automatically sending a message to the house owner's mobile phone informing them about the lifting of the garbage. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nvidia's AI Strategy Is Clear - But Is Wall Street Paying Attention? Seeking Alpha Read More Undo " He said there are many more progressive plans, but full support from the councillors is needed, to which all the councillors applauded the suggestion by banging the tables. Notably, Mohali slipped to 128th rank in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, its worst show in the past three years, plummeting 46 spots. According to the latest rankings released by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, Mohali's decline has been attributed to three major shortcomings: unregulated garbage dumping, poor waste segregation at source, and inefficient door-to-door garbage collection. In the state rankings, the city has also slipped from 1st position among 16 cities last year to 11th out of 35 this year.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Chronic garbage dumps rise by 80% in Mohali after closure of Ph 8-B dumping ground
Mohali: The number of chronic garbage dumps in Mohali has surged by nearly 80% following the closure of the Phase 8-B dumping ground, with the total number of persistent waste accumulation points rising from 11 to 53 across the city. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The closure of the dumping site came after a Punjab and Haryana high court order in Nov 2024, which banned the use of the Phase 8-B ground for further dumping due to environmental concerns. Although the municipal corporation (MC) had previously claimed a reduction in chronic garbage dumps to 11 by March 2025, the situation has significantly worsened in the months following the ban. Taking serious note of the development, MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh said, "We have issued a show-cause notice to the sanitation contractor and are awaiting his response. If found unsatisfactory, we will proceed to blacklist the contractor and terminate the contract." To manage the growing waste crisis, the civic body has set up small, decentralised garbage processing units at Shahimajra, Jagatpura, and another location. The commissioner assured that these units would not emit foul odour, and the operators have been warned of contract termination in case of complaints. In a bid to improve waste segregation and processing, the MC recently approved new tenders for handling garbage from Refuse Management Collection (RMC) points on a revenue-sharing basis. Under the revised system, the private processing enterprise will earn profits by converting waste into biogas or fuel, with the processed waste now being sent to an Ambala-based facility. The transition to the Ambala plant comes as the Lalru-based facility's tender period nears its end. Owing to delays in new tender clearance by the local government, the MC had to float fresh tenders, which were awarded to the Ambala unit. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Officials explained that the updated solid waste management approach involves transporting waste from RMC points to the processor's facility, where it is handled using modern biomethanation and extrusion technology for wet and dry waste respectively. Despite these efforts, the growing number of unmanaged garbage sites has triggered public concern over sanitation and environmental health in Mohali, prompting calls for faster and more effective action.
Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
F&CC issues work orders worth Rs 67 cr, approves new estimates of Rs 4 crore
The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of Mohali Municipal Corporation Wednesday issued work orders worth Rs 67 crore for works previously approved and passed new estimates worth Rs 4 crore. The works approved mainly include scarifying the roads and then laying premix on them. Some of these works are already in progress in Mohali. Apart from premix work on main roads and internal streets, work relating to desilting of sewerage lines, cleaning of road drains, and other development tasks were also included. Speaking to The Indian Express after the meeting, Mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu said that roads in Mohali whose lifespan had ended are being overlaid with premix, and in particular, in several areas, roads are being scraped before applying premix so that their height does not increase. Special attention is being given to this on the main roads. He added that work in Mohali is being carried out according to the needs and suggestions of councillors of different wards as well as local residents. He said that officials have been instructed to monitor these works from time to time so that there is no compromise with quality. He said that if there is any deficiency in the quality of the ongoing works, then action will be taken against the contractors and the responsible officers concerned. Present in the meeting were Municipal Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh, Senior Deputy Mayor Amrik Singh Somal, Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi, committee members councillors Jasbir Singh Manku and Anuradha Anand, along with Chief Engineer Naresh Batta and other officials.
Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Operation Clean' set to sweep Mohali markets, illegal vendors face eviction
In a decisive move against rampant illegal encroachments, the Mohali Municipal Corporation is set to launch 'Operation Clean', a large-scale crackdown aimed at evicting street vendors occupying public spaces across the city's markets. Sources confirm that all preparations for the operation have been finalised, with municipal enforcement teams and police machinery put on high alert to evict the vendors across various phases and sectors. What started as a few hundreds has exploded over the years. A survey conducted by the civic body earlier recorded around 1,000 vendors, but officials say the actual count is more than double the number, severely affecting the commercial landscape. 'These vendors have formed unions and call themselves shopkeepers, alleging that anyone who objects is silenced through collective intimidation. Even councillors admit that some shopkeepers are renting out space in front of their shops to these vendors, complicating the problem.' Residents and traders argue that most vendors are not even from Mohali but commute daily from Chandigarh and Punjab, and do not pay any local taxes. 'Our own legal businesses pay taxes to run day-to-day operations while these vendors sell underpriced counterfeit goods,' a Phase 3B2 shopowner disclosed. Reeling from pressure, a public meeting was held under the chairmanship of Joint Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh to demand swift action. 'The Mayor and MC Commissioner are also collecting Aadhaar and Voter IDs of illegal vendors,' said an official. The civic body has already identified more than 1,000 illegal vendors through a special survey. Officials confirmed that a strict deadline has been set after which all unauthorised vendors will soon be removed.
Indian Express
02-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Mohali civic body to spend Rs 80 lakh on renting pumps again
Despite repeated failure to provide relief to people in the rainy season, the Mohali Municipal Corporation is once again relying on the same drainage system involving pumps, which has proven ineffective in the past. This time, it plans to rent tractor-mounted de-watering pumps at a cost of Rs 80 lakh for a period of three months. This move has drawn criticism not only from the public but also from several municipal councillors. To date, the Municipal Corporation has failed to implement a lasting solution to waterlogging. The same temporary pump-based system, which failed last year when pumps stopped working mid-rain, is being proposed again. Councillors argue that the amount being spent could be better utilised in establishing a permanent drainage solution. According to residents, areas like Phase 3B2, 4, 5, Phase 11, and Sectors 70 and 71 experience severe flooding each monsoon. Parts of Phase 1 are also significantly affected, leading to major inconvenience and financial losses for residents. In response, the corporation plans to install the rented pumps in these areas and deploy personnel to ensure immediate drainage during rainfall. In 2016, the MC appointed a team of PEC engineers to address the issue of water logging. The team pointed out flaws in the city's old drainage system and recommended laying 26 km of new pipelines with diameters ranging from 80–100 mm. They also suggested installing a rainwater harvesting system and channeling excess water into the seasonal rivulet, Patiala Ki Rao. However, despite the passage of nine years, the MC has taken no action on the report. As a result, low-lying areas remain affected, and during every monsoon, homes and streets are repeatedly flooded, causing residents continuous inconvenience and financial losses amounting to lakhs of rupees. What Officials Say In this regard, when several attempts were made to contact Commissioner Municipal Council Parminder Pal Singh, he could not be contacted on the phone. Amrik Singh Somal, Senior Deputy Mayor & councillor, Sector 71 'GMADA has not been cooperating in resolving this issue. In fact, they raised the levels of Airport Road and the Kumbhra-Balongi Road, which has caused rainwater to flood into sectors 70 and 71. We demand permission to lay pipelines up to the Kumbhra Light Point to enable proper drainage and offer a permanent solution.' Kuljit Singh Bedi, Deputy Mayor & councillor, Phase 3B2: 'This issue arises every year, causing immense trouble to residents. While a permanent solution is still pending, renting pumps is currently the only option for temporary relief. Unfortunately, this has become an annual compulsion.' Baljit Kaur, councillor, Phase 5 'After the construction of a causeway on the Phase 5 road, some relief was observed in the HIG and 7.5 marla belts. However, the 10 marla belt continues to suffer from rainwater accumulation. The best solution is to install direct pipelines to the Balongi drain.' Rupinder Kaur Reena, councillor, Phase 4 'Renting pumps is a waste of public money. Instead of spending such a large amount on temporary equipment, a causeway should be constructed on the dividing road. It would cost less and solve the problem effectively.' Mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu 'A comprehensive drainage project worth Rs 200 crore has been planned after conducting a survey. However, this project is beyond the financial scope of the Municipal Corporation. We have written to the government for financial assistance. Once the funds are received, we will begin work to ensure a permanent solution to the city's waterlogging issue.'
