GHMC to now collect fee to transport construction waste

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has now decided to collect debris fee from residents in advance for disposing of waste generated from construction and demolition (C&D) of buildings.

According to officials of the Corporation, they will collect 20 per cent from the building permission fee. The officials of the Corporation have also decided to transport the debris to recycling plants in vehicles maintained by the civic body. The civic body will dump the construction debris at the recycling plants that will come up at Jeedimetla and Fathullaguda.

The GHMC officials said that according to the guidelines for construction and demolition, waste of any kind should not be deposited at any time by the occupiers on roads, streets, pavements, drains, public places, water bodies or vacant sites. The respective occupiers, owners and developers of a building would be responsible for removal, transport and disposal of their C&D waste and their addresses should be furnished while applying for building permission.

For occupiers generating small quantities of construction and demolition waste, during repair and minor renovation works, the occupier will have to keep the debris within their own premises until arrangements for collection are made by GHMC authorised C&D transporter from the designated places.

The officials said that occupiers wishing to construct, renovate, repair or dismantle any building requires approval for their plan. They should obtain prior sanction for the same from the GHMC. All applications must be given in advance specifying expected quantity of construction and demolition waste.

Building permission will be granted on the submission of certain documents. To help occupiers to dispose the waste, GHMC would establish a call centre. Based on the distance from the site to the occupier, fee would be fixed for collection and transportation.

Some C&D waste bins would be put at designated points to dump small quantities of waste and also unclaimed construction and demolition waste.

However, the Corporation very recently held a closed door meeting with the city builders, pertaining to collection of debris fee, where the latter vehemently denied to the proposed fee. The builders told the Corporation that they would incur losses if it collects debris fee. The Corporation is now chalking out new modalities so that it would not burden the citizens and builders who are prime contributors of C&D waste.

Meanwhile, nearly 800 to 1,000 metric tonnes of construction and debris waste are generated in the city on a daily basis and there is no exclusive place to dump this. But with the identification of two locations, Jeedimetla and Fathullaguda, for setting up C&D waste recycling plant, the problem of dealing this waste is going to be reduced to a great extent.