Gurgaon: A policy shift in urban sanitation — call it a mixed sweeping model — may be on the horizon in the state.This comes after key observations made by Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini that road sweeping is directly linked to the efficiency of door-to-door waste collection systems.This was communicated through the department of urban local bodies (ULB) to municipal corporations across the state. Once door-to-door garbage collection is fully streamlined and functioning effectively, the need for daily road sweeping is significantly reduced or may not be required at all, the note said quoting the CM.However, acknowledging practical challenges, the CM noted that it may take time to stabilise and fully implement door-to-door collection across urban areas. As an interim measure, Haryana govt has suggested a balanced approach: manual sweeping for six days a week and mechanical sweeping on alternate days, simultaneously. This arrangement, after a year, will be reviewed and then submitted for the CM’s directions.“A revised RFP has been circulated and the CM has also instructed as follows: Once door-to-door collection is perfected, the daily sweeping is not required,” the order said.MCG, however, already sent an estimate for manual and mechanised road sweeping of the city for a period of five years. “We already sent the proposal for five years but we will now revise it to one year as per the ULB department directions,” MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said.However, in a city like Gurgaon, where road dust is a major contributor to air pollution, experts warn that reducing sweeping frequency without robust dust-control measures could aggravate the problem.Convener of two groups — Gurgaon Residents Against Pollution and Making Model Gurgaon — Gauri Sarin said, “Given many challenges, road sweeping cannot be reduced or done away with at this stage.”“Garbage-vulnerable points tend to emerge on roads when doorstep waste collection is not fully streamlined, which likely is the basis of the CM’s observations. However, significant gaps remain. We still need to strengthen roadside infrastructure such as developing proper pavements, installing adequate bins, and deploying more efficient road-cleaning machinery. The current sanitation systems and resources are not sufficient for the city’s needs. Dedicated horticulture bins are also essential for managing green waste,” Sarin said.Requesting anonymity, a former consultant, who has closely worked with the Haryana municipal corporations and is also a waste management expert, said, “RFPs should be long term and cannot be open-ended. While making the RFPs, such conditions cannot be put up that sweeping will be done for a year or the arrangement will be reviewed first because in such cases, the contractors quote higher prices. In such cases where uncertainty over the contract’s duration is higher, the loss is ultimately borne by the govt since contractors quote higher charges.”He added, “Having said that, there have been studies that show that the frequency of sweeping can be reduced if the doorstep waste collection is perfect. However, it can in no condition be done away with. In cities like Gurgaon and Faridabad, there is so much dust, there are stray cattle roaming, unchecked construction dust etc due to which sweeping is necessary.”The ULB department purchased these sweeping machines in 2019. Subsequently, the operations and maintenance of 44 such machines across various state corporations were outsourced to a private company for five years, although the machines remain the property of the ULB. In Gurgaon, the private firm previously operating the machines was awarded the work in Sept 2019 for five years till March 31, 2025, after which the agency was given a one-year extension.After the contract of the private agency responsible for operating and maintaining the city’s road sweeping machines ended on March 31 this year, MCG has awarded the work to another Dwarka-based private agency for the operation and maintenance of the machines across the city for the next six months. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 5 crore.
