SDMC note to Dwarka on waste segregation spurs debate
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SDMC note to Dwarka on waste segregation spurs debate

How are the residents of the sub-city responding? City Spidey finds out from both naysayers and supporters.

SDMC note to Dwarka on waste segregation spurs debate

There have been concerted efforts to promote waste segregation at all levels, but the recent notice published by South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s (SDMC) Najafgarh zone for Dwarka has become the bone of contention.

The notice published for Dwarka bears the following subject line: “Final guidelines for mandatory segregation of waste at the level of CGHS, DDA Pockets, Markets and institutions, etc.”

And the source of discord? The provision of penalty for failure to comply, and lack of efforts on the part of the authorities to take the societies and RWAs into confidence before taking this unilateral decision.

V Selvarajan, secretary of Federation of CGHS, and a resident of Diamond Square Society in Sector 6, retorted, “The recent public notice from SDMC Najafgarh, which specifically targets Dwarka sub-city, is shocking! The meeting convened by the DC on June 18 to explain waste-segregation rules was a total failure. The DC was not present, and the SDMC officials mismanaged the meeting, which ended in chaos. Instead of calling a fresh meeting to take the societies and RWAs into confidence before taking out such a notice, the SDMC decided to go ahead with its unilateral decision. Why SDMC (Najafgarh) is targeting Dwarka alone when the MOEF (the Ministry of Environment & Forests) rules apply for the entire country. If the SDMC is going to enforce unilateral rules on societies alone, Dwarkites — besides taking legal help — may have to fall back on dharnas.”

On the other hand, some have hailed the decision.

Poonam Tyagi, a resident of Paradise Apartments — who has been doing waste segregation at home — felt, “Waste segregation is our responsibility because we are generating it. It’s easy, and I have been doing it for months — it needs very little space! If the SDMC is going to penalise for non-segregated waste, it should be at the society level. It would help in making societies more responsible and accountable. Residents will, as a consequence, have to take the process more seriously.”

Arvind Agrawal, a resident of New Millennium Apartments in Sector 23, added, “I started waste segregation with some my friends. This is a good move, but the SDMC should prepare the community for it. They should first create awareness among people before applying such a strict norm.”

According to the SDMC, there would be three types of segregation —biodegradable waste would be picked up daily, non-biodegradable waste would be picked up every three days, and  domestic hazardous waste would be picked up on a weekly basis. Penalties would be imposed for non-segregated waste.  

City Spidey spoke to SDMC mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat on the subject.

She said, “In the third week of August, we hope to provide big, covered dustbins to societies. These bins are to be kept inside the societies, and not on the roads. If they are found on the road in front of the society, the society will be penalised. We also will be doing awareness campaigns to promote waste segregation. We want the sub-city clean and well-managed. And, along with rules and regulations, we need community support for this to happen.”

She added, “We’ll have a system in place for horticulture waste of the society. We have composters at various locations in the sub-city. We will provide a number on which a society can call to have someone collect the waste or they can dump the waste at designated sites.”