Chandigarh, Feb 20: The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has launched a formalized system to collect garbage directly from the city’s hotels and markets, hiring 100 door-to-door collectors to oversee commercial sanitation. The initiative, announced by Mayor Saurabh Joshi and MC Commissioner Amit Kumar, aims to streamline waste management and eliminate the practice of dumping refuse on streets overnight.
Under the new framework, each collector has signed a formal agreement with the civic body, securing a monthly salary of ₹25,000 with a guaranteed 5% annual increment. These workers will operate on eight-hour shifts, and the MC has mandated biometric attendance along with regular medical examinations to ensure staff welfare and accountability.
To maintain high hygiene standards in high-traffic areas, waste from food markets and hotels will now be lifted twice daily. Officials noted that the evening collection is specifically designed to prevent shopkeepers from leaving waste outside their premises at night, ensuring that garbage is removed before the following morning.
“If waste segregation begins at the source, it becomes significantly easier to process and manage,” Mayor Joshi stated during the signing ceremony. He asserted that the success of the project relies heavily on traders adhering to strict segregation norms. Commissioner Amit Kumar maintained that the MC requires active public participation to keep the city clean, declaring that the civic body cannot achieve its goals without the cooperation of the citizenry.
The move also provides financial relief to business owners who previously paid both water bill sanitation charges and private collection fees. The MC affirmed that it will conduct a comprehensive survey to integrate existing private workers into the formal system, ensuring their livelihoods are protected while ending the double-payment burden for shopkeepers.
