C&D waste management policy gets Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit's nod

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, January 31

After several months of deliberations, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit has finally given his approval to the construction and demolition (C&D) waste management policy. UT Adviser Dharam Pal said the policy would be notified in a day or two.

In August, the UT Administration had prepared a draft policy to process 100 per cent waste being generated in the city and use it to make recycled items such as gravel and slabs, which can be used in the construction of roads. Later, the MC Commissioner was directed to simplify the draft policy to make it easy to understand and implement.

Under the policy, it will be made mandatory for all those constructing or reconstructing their houses to send the C&D waste to the processing plant in the Industrial Area.

As per the policy, those reconstructing their houses will be levied C&D waste processing charges at the rate of Rs170 per sq metre per storey and Rs20 per sq metre for new construction at the time of approval of the building plan from the Estate Office or the MC. These rates will be increased by 5 per cent annually on the base rate from April 1 every year.

As an incentive, if a waste generator brings C&D waste to the processing plant, he/she can take back 50 per cent of the volume of the waste in recycled items. Before approving the building plan, the generators will be given an option to either send the waste material directly to the processing plant or ask the MC to pick it up after paying the applicable charges.

The MC has developed a major site for storage/stacking and processing of construction & demolition waste in the Industrial Area, Phase I, wherein screening of C&D waste, crushing of coarse material into different types of aggregates and their separation by screening and washing is being carried out to produce recycled material and its by-products such as washed sand, filling sand/silt, crushed aggregates of 10 mm, 20 mm and 40 mm, PCC products made of recycled aggregates (paver blocks, kerbs, channels and tiles).

The MC has already set up a toll-free number, 0172-2787200. Any waste generator can avail of the services under this policy by dialling the toll-free number.

What’s in it

Under the policy, it will be made mandatory for all those constructing or reconstructing their houses to send the C&D waste to the processing plant in the Industrial Area.