Cleared – mani
Chennai: After a slump in debris collection due to the earlier contractor dragging the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to arbitration, the civic body has now intensified the debris collection drive, particularly on core city areas like Kodambakkam, Teynampet, Adyar, and Royapettah.
Mayor R Priya flagged off 57 new debris collection vehicles on Wednesday. The corporation will focus on hotspots like Adyar River banks near Guindy, Buckingham Canal near the Canal Bank Road, Santhome Loop Road, and the Srinivasapuram Beach, among others.
GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said they are expanding the debris collection project across the city. “Earlier, the GCC used its own tipper lorries to collect waste. The vehicles launched today will help maximise coverage in core city areas. Violators are being penalised too,” he said.
The contractor, who won an eight-year tender in 2020 to manage the city’s 750 tonnes of debris daily went into arbitration after the GCC terminated his contract for non-performance. The issue was resolved recently, and the contractor was asked to rework the project. “He has now created a city-wide implementation plan. We have allotted them space in 15 locations to dump debris, and they are procuring vehicles as per the timeline. The contractor will work for eight years,” Kumaragurubaran said.
When contacted deputy mayor Mahesh Kumar told TOI that the private contractor would now be paid based on the tonnes of construction waste they collect and dump in the specified dump yards. The initiative will be overseen by the assistant engineers of the respective zones. “Debris dumped in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dump yards will be recycled and sent as raw materials to cement factories and gravel quarries,” he said.
Officials said GCC has fined 260 violators and collected a fine of ₹13 lakhs last month, and it will be intensified in coming days. Since Jan, GCC cleared 51,214 metric tons of debris using 102 vehicles such as tipper lorries, mini lorries, JCBs, and Bobcat vehicles. The additional vehicles will boost the existing fleet to expedite debris removal. The collected waste is being transported to Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dump yards for recycling.
Civic activist Geetha Ganesh of Velachery said GCC often does not clean construction debris on vacant land. “Despite complaints, they don’t rein in private landowners and say the land doesn’t come under their purview,” she said.
V Sandhya, president, Federation of Anna Nagar Resident Welfare Association, said drives and monitoring must be done at Cooum River banks in Koyambedu and beneath Maduravoyal and Koyambedu clover-grade separators. “These are notorious hotspots,” she said. GCC has overall identified 300 dumping spots within Adyar River alone. The contractor will also do drone monitoring to remove waste.
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