It’s around two months now since Self Help Groups (SHGs) have taken over Margao’s ambitious door-to-door waste collection project in the commercial capital. Around eight SHGs, engaging around 80-100 workers, are presently involved in the collection of waste from the households spread across the 20 municipal wards.
Many of these workers were previously engaged by the civic body in similar work on a monthly wage of Rs 9,000, but their earnings have now dropped to the region of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000. A couple of these workers are believed to have quietly quit the job, while fears are raised in many quarters that many others may follow suit, which may trigger a collapse of the system unless the civic body intervenes and keeps the programme going.
The reasons are not too far to seek. The SHGs are now totally dependent on the payment of garbage collection fees by the city households and commercial establishments, besides proceeds from the sale of the recyclable items. Complaints are trickling in that many of these workers do not move door-to-door, especially in the housing societies, and prefer to collect the waste stored in the complex. On the other hand, these workers claim that they are not welcome in some of the housing colonies that have their own waste collection mechanism in place.
Given the situation, many households have declined to pay the garbage collection fees on the plea that these workers do not collect the waste door-to-door or the societies have their own waste collection network. Intervention of the municipal supervisors has not helped much so far.
Says a resident Julio D’Silva, staying at Sirvodem, “My friend staying at Alto Monte has complained that these workers do not collect waste from the doorsteps. They only lift away the waste stored in the complex. How can the households pay the collection fees if waste is not lifted from the doorstep?”
Former MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho, who has initiated a SHG in his Colmorod ward, said the civic body should intervene immediately to ensure the system does not derail. “I have told the MMC Chief Officer Naveen S L to issue a public appeal to the citizens to pay the prescribed waste collection fees. The civic body should urgently intervene before the workers quit the work, leaving the project struggling,” Coutinho warned. He said no SHG will be self-sustaining unless the citizens pay the garbage collection fees.
MMC Assistant Engineer, Dipak Desai, who is overseeing the door-to-door programme, admits that the programme is hit by some teething problems. He, however, exuded confidence that things will fall in place when the workers move door-to-door and the citizens start paying the fees.
“It took five years and more for the Mapusa and Ponda Municipal Councils to put in place the door-to-door system. The programme is just being launched in Margao. A host of teething problems have cropped up and it is the duty of everyone to overcome them one by one,” Desai said.
