Gurugram Residents Protest MCG Garbage Fee on Bulk Waste Generators
Residents in Suncity Township, Sector 23A, and Sector 45 in Gurugram are protesting against a garbage collection fee levied by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on bulk waste generators who already manage their own waste. The ongoing dispute, which was first flagged in April, has caused confusion among residents and led to calls to boycott the sanitation component of society maintenance fees.
Kusum Sharma, chairperson of the Suncity Township Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), questioned the rationale behind charging registered bulk waste generators (BWGs) like them, who already collect, segregate, and process wet waste independently. Sharma noted that the levy has created confusion, prompting some residents to instigate others to withhold the sanitation component of their society maintenance fees. She suggested that the civic body should rename the charge if they intend to keep it.
In response, senior officials from the MCG stated that the levy is not solely for garbage collection but for holistic sanitation services. These services include road sweeping, legacy waste management, and other sanitation activities performed by the MCG. Officials mentioned they have raised the issue with the Department of Urban Local Bodies to rename the charge to reflect these broader services, which they argue benefit everyone, including self-managing BWGs.
This marks a shift from the MCG's stance in April, when an official indicated that the civic body was likely to defer the levy until a door-to-door garbage collection system was established. Currently, the MCG lacks a permanent mechanism for door-to-door garbage collection, segregation, and processing. A tender issued earlier was recalled after bidders requested higher-than-quoted tariffs. The civic body currently relies on informal, outsourced stopgap measures, while several sectors manage waste independently, with collectors charging between Rs 50 and Rs 150 per household.
The MCG's justification has met with strong opposition from other resident representatives. Bhawani Shankar Tripathy, the general secretary of the Sector 23A RWA, argued that sanitation is a primary, obligatory municipal service under the 12th Schedule of the Constitution. According to Tripathy, the MCG is legally obligated to keep the city clean and cannot charge residents extra for road sweeping.
Additionally, Puneet Pahwa, general secretary of the Sector 45 RWA, pointed out that the current payment portal does not allow residents to clear their property tax without also paying the disputed garbage charges. This prevents residents from generating a "no dues" certificate. Pahwa questioned why the MCG is enforcing this charge when no other municipal bodies in Haryana are doing so.
