Friday, 03 February 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Various important proposals passed in MCD board meeting
The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) will send a proposal to the State administration to add Rs 50 as monthly user charge for garbage collection vehicles in each electricity bill considering many locals continue to dump their garbage in public places to avoid paying the user charge. This proposal was passed in the first MCD board meeting this year on Thursday. No hike in the user charge for door to door garbage collection was proposed for residential buildings. However, the board decided to increase the user charges for door to door garbage collection for commercial establishments which generate garbage in bulk daily. These points were also presented in the last board meeting held on August 20, 2022 in order to increase the revenue generation as the user charges for door to door garbage collection has not been increased in the past 12 years. Most of the councillors did not agree with these points saying that door to door service is still poor in many wards and called the fee hike ahead of the municipal elections later this year a bad idea. Mutation charges were also increased in the meeting for the first time since 1999. The board approved the proposed slab of mutation charges ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 30,000 for residential properties and from Rs 8,000 to Rs 50,000 for non-residential properties. The cleanliness and associated issues remained the main topic of discussion in the board meeting chaired by Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’.
Many councillors complained about garbage accumulation in public places due to irregular door to door service in their respective wards. The municipal commissioner Manuj Goyal said that the MCD would soon start operation of 75 garbage collection vehicles acquired from the Dehradun Smart City Limited and would start digital monitoring of the movement of all such vehicles. He said that lack of segregation practice is the main cause for garbage disposal issues despite the fact that most of MCD’s revenue is used in managing sanitation facilities. He said that the MCD will consider providing rebate to those locals who can segregate garbage and adopt composting. “There are about 300 such residents in every ward who can easily adopt this practice. If such residents start following this practice, it will save MCD about Rs 1.5 lakh daily,” said Goyal.
Apart from this, many councillors said that they have no information about government land in their respective wards and sought data from the corporation to prevent encroachments. The councilors also complained about irregularities in installation and maintenance of street lights, on which the mayor assured to take action to blacklist the company. On the complaints of councillors, the mayor also said that Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) would not be given NOCs before the completion of its past projects. The councillors also talked about increasing unauthorised Haat Bazaars and street markets in many wards and near main roads causing encroachment and traffic jams. The mayor asked the respective councillors to conduct a separate meeting with the land section to discuss about this issue. The board also approved the health section’s proposal to cover the area around Rispana river with a metal mesh to prevent large-scale disposal of garbage on a daily basis as it can potentially affect the points of the city in SS23. However, the mayor clarified that the process will probably take time due to financial constraints.
Important proposal approved in the meeting
- The board approved a budget of Rs two crore to carry out activities under Swachchh Survekshan 2023
- Appointment of an expert in sanitation-related issues as a public relations officer of MCD under SS23 to raise awareness among locals about cleanliness
- Setting up of bio-CNG plant for the disposal of cow dung and wet waste in Shankarpur
- Establishment of fuel station in Sahastradhara Road through Indian Oil Corporation
