Getting bulk producers of waste, like hotels, restaurants, banquet halls, industries and market associations, to pay more for segregation and treatment of waste, and levying a charge for door-to-door collection of municipal waste are among the several suggestions put forward by a team of senior officials to make the `Swachh Bharat' more effective.A panel of secretaries has recommended the revamping of waste treatment policies within three months and making it mandatory for those generating waste, including residents' associations, to play a defined and responsible role in waste management.
The panel made a presentation to PM Narendra Modi on Friday , following discussions and consultations with state and municipal bodies as well as non-government entities.The environment ministry is empowered to formulate and amend the rules regarding solid and liquid waste while municipal bodies are responsible for their implementation.
Sources said the panel found 50% of municipal waste found 50% of municipal waste to be bio-degradable and fully treatable. “Failure to treat this share creates an impression of insanitation. The focus has to be on decentralising the processing and treatment so that very little quantity is dumped,“ said an official.
The panel has suggested a “polluter pays“ principle to nudge people into becoming more conscious about sanitation.The committee of secretaries from different ministries, including environment, urban development and rural sanitation, suggested that all bulk producers of municipal waste could make arrangement for waste collection and segregation as well.
Highlighting that all types of waste should be treated as a “source“ and efforts made to convert “waste to wealth“, the committee also proposed a roadmap for future development projects where waste treatment provisions become an integral part of development from the planning stage itself.
Some of the officials TOI spoke to said while all these proposals and policy interventions are essential for giving a push to the government's flagship programme to achieve complete sanitation, the challenge was whether municipal bodies and local governments had the capacity to deliver.
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