Skip to main content

Ghaziabad local body ostracizes waste pickers, appoints contractors 'violating' 2016 rules

Shashi Bhushan, Ashni Tyagi* 

In 2016, the Government of India changed the Waste Management Rules which were being implemented for 15 years. The rules have demarcated certain responsibilities and accountabilities for the executive institutions. However, the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) is silent about them since 2016.
In 2022, three out of five zones of the GMC were given over to private firms in the name of ‘waste management’. For this, GMC receives money. According to the rules which are being violated, the one who works according to the guidelines is the one who has to pay, too.
Under the 2016 rules, it is the responsibility of the municipality to do the work and not to get things done. Yet, GMC is the only executive body in India that is taking money from contractors. The aim of these contractors is only to make as much money as possible.
We know that working in the garbage is no less than a challenge. According to an estimate, a person who works and lives in the garbage lives only a half of her or his life. From this, you can guess how risky the work is.
Waste pickers play a vital role in waste management. Their contribution and importance are recognized in the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). The Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 recognize them as ‘labourers’ and insist on their involvement in the management of waste. Yet, in Ghaziabad, more than 5,000 waste pickers are employed without any social security schemes and government provisions.
Despite these odds, waste pickers continue to play a key role in the primary collection and segregation of solid waste informally. This is because, in most cases, the formal system of waste management does not recognize the contribution of waste pickers.
These informal waste collectors provide their services to the residents of GMC, as in other and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), without any recognition of their immense contribution to environmentally sound ways of managing solid waste. Their services are utilized by the resident either at a very low cost or in many cases free of cost.
Due to constant ignorance of GMC, informal waste pickers are often subjected to exploitation by contractors in the waste management system at multiple levels. Their livelihood entirely depends upon the sale of recyclables that they recover from the segregation of solid waste.
The 2016 rules recognize that waste is no longer “waste” but a resource that needs to be recovered. That's why a new terminology was used in the new rules -- Material Recovery Facility (MRF). It is clear from this that now waste is considered a resource.
About 50% of the total waste is organic waste, which is composted, 30% goes to the recycling factory in the form of raw material, from where new material is made and used for our needs. Annually 1,63,000 metric tons of waste is produced in India, which has to be managed environmentally. Of this, 50,000 metric tons of waste is recycled.
Yet, the waste pickers’ quality of their lives and livelihood opportunities remain unchanged despite their ability to immensely contribute to the policy documents. They continue to get excluded from the waste management system. In several cases, waste pickers migrate to other states.
For the last 6-7 months, due to the hiring of the contractors in Ghaziabad, the waste pickers face ostracism, as they belong to the Dalit community, a marginalized group which is facing harassment at every step, making them even more marginalized. If the situation persists this could lead to something big. Initially, it was just the contractors who would harass the waste pickers, but now the officials of the municipality too have joined in.
Approximately 10 days back one of the contractors in Ghaziabad confiscated rickshaws and harassed waste pickers. In order for waste pickers to get back their rickshaws and the ‘waste’ material, they have to pay some amount to the contractors. But even after payment of the amount, these were not given to them back, hence they lost their employment and their earning for days.
The Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikari Manch (DASAM) has demanded to stop such harassment of waste pickers, and constitute a Grievance Redressal Cell, as stated in Sec 15 and 23 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Under the notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change number GSR 451 (E), dated the 3rd June 2015 in the Gazette of India, part II, Section 3, sub-section (i), it is possible to raise objections or suggestions on behalf the persons likely to be affected.
Thousands of tons of garbage are generated daily in the GMC area. Thousands of Dalits, tribals, and minorities migrate from villages to cities for employment. They have been running this system. But now henchmen of these contractors from Ghaziabad are forcing the waste workers out of work.
---
*Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikari Manch (DASAM)

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”