CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to appoint private consultants to monitor the progress and efficiency of two sensitive projects - privatised solid waste management in two zones and the waste-to-energy (WtE) plant at Kodungaiyur - at a total cost of Rs 18.1 crore.
The privatised solid waste management in Zones 5 and 6 and the establishment and maintenance of the WtE plant in Kodungaiyur will now be monitored by Infra En (India) Private Ltd, a Chennai-based firm that mainly deals with construction equipment, for a period of five years and three years respectively.
Two resolutions to this effect were passed at the corporation council meeting on Tuesday.
According to the resolutions, the independent consultant will track the operations and progress of the bio-CNG plant and WtE in Kodungaiyur which has faced severe opposition from the residents in the area. The project was awarded to Delhi MWS solutions Ltd in March for a contact period of 25 years. Preparatory civil works have already begun.
The Federation of North Chennai Residents Welfare Association will submit a petition to Mayor R Priya on August 28 against the continuation of the works, R Jayaraman, Ward 4 CPM councillor and the association’s general secretary told TNIE.
During the construction phase, the corporation will pay the firm on a monthly basis. In the maintenance phase, the cost will be shared equally between the civic body and the contracting firm. The consultancy fee for this project is fixed at Rs 8.52 crore.
For the collection and transportation of municipal solid waste from Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zones, Infra En (India) Private Limited will monitor the service delivery and efficiency of Delhi MWS solutions, which holds the contract for this project too.
The consultancy fee for five years is Rs 9.59 crore, half of which will be borne by the contractor for the solid waste management project, the resolution stated.
Meanwhile, four councillors — R Jayaraman (Ward 4), A Priyadharshini (Ward 98), M Saraswathi (Ward 123), and M Renuka (Ward 42) — staged a walkout in protest against the privatisation move.
They also condemned the detention of over 1,000 sanitary workers on August 13, who had held a sit-in protest for 13 days earlier this month. Mayor R Priya and deputy Mayor M Magesh Kumar said that they were acting in accordance with court orders.