Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to bring in new ‘Independent Engineers’ (IEs) for monitoring the solid waste management system in the city. This is to be done in Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, and Ambattur zones (I, II, III, VII). This is part of Phase II of GCC’s solid waste management initiative, implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, according to the Corporation.

Notably, 50% of the pay of the concessionaires, or private parties responsible for collection and disposal, is linked to their performance, while the other half will receive a fixed rate. An official said the 50% pay based on performance has been a clause for several years now, and has been implemented in some wards based on the reports previously.

The move has faced opposition from some, who have raised concerns about privatisation and the potential impact salaries.

An animator appointed on contract basis with the Valsaravakkam Zone claimed that she used to receive roughly around ₹15,500 per month. “In past few months it was reduced to ₹12,300 by the contractor for nearly 14 animators. While working directly with GCC, we got ₹24,000 to ₹25,000. Now there is no benefits like Provident Fund,” the animator stated.

To this, the GCC stated that the matter of payment is only with the corresponding concessionaire, in this case Urbaser Sumeet, and the civic body cannot take responsibility.

Duties of IE

“The IEs will oversee this financial evaluation aspect, while the ward-wise conservancy supervisors are responsible for the physical aspect i.e. if the public spaces are clean, communication of complaints, have workers attend to emergency services like blocakges or dumps etc.,” an official in the GCC’s Solid Waste Management Department said.

According to the Corporation: Independent Engineers (IEs) will evaluate how well the concessionaires — Ramky Enviro and Urbaser Sumeet — are undertaking daily works and submit daily reports based on 42 key performance indicators (KPIs). These include the quality of street sweeping, battery-operated vehicle quality, waste disposal methods, amount of mixed waste collected, number of workers assigned, and area covered each day.

The duties of the private parties also extend to desilting operations, garden waste clearance, hazardous waste disposal, beach cleaning services with mechanised sweepers and workers, and disaster waste management, as per info from the civic body.

“The IEs are led by a Team Leader, supported by a Deputy Team Leader and specialists in finance, contract management, IT, environment, health, and safety. Each of the four zones—Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, and Ambattur — would be managed by a dedicated Zonal Manager responsible for supervising waste collection and contractor performance. Field-level ‘monitoring supervisors’ will conduct daily inspections,” according to the official.