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Journalism of Courage
The ongoing mechanical sweeping project is likely to dominate the MC House meeting on Tuesday (October 1), with the private contractor claiming that several roads cleaned by their machines were not accurately recorded in official reports. The company argued that the lengths of multiple stretches were understated, certain newly added routes were excluded altogether, and the number of passes made on busy roads was underreported. According to the contractor, these discrepancies have effectively reduced their accounted coverage by 22.60 kilometres, for which they are seeking additional payment.
Company representatives maintained that underpayment is now creating operational challenges in running the project smoothly. A formal letter has already been sent to the Municipal Corporation, urging correction of the discrepancies and proper recording of the work done.
Municipal officials, while acknowledging the complaints, admitted that several new stretches had indeed been extended and more passes were required in some areas. A senior official confirmed that a detailed review is underway to reconcile the records. “The matter will be thoroughly discussed in the House meeting. If the contractor’s claims are validated, the additional payment will be duly approved,” the official added.
The controversy comes at a time when the mechanical sweeping system itself is under scrutiny. Earlier this year, the Municipal Corporation imposed a penalty of ₹60 lakh on Global Waste Management Cell Private Limited, the company currently handling the ₹41.54 crore, five-year contract that began in early 2024. The previous contractor, Lion Services, had completed its term in 2021, after which manual sweeping was temporarily resumed until the new agency was hired.
The fine was levied after multiple deficiencies were found: incomplete sweeping on major stretches, failure to wash footpaths, non-usage of water sprinklers, and neglect of internal sectors as well as market areas. Despite penalties, complaints of poor cleanliness in several parts of the city persist, fuelling criticism of the system’s effectiveness. In August 2025, a proposal to extend mechanical sweeping to the narrower “C” roads was outrightly rejected in the MC House, with the Deputy Mayor criticising the mechanism’s failure to deliver results even on wider stretches.
In a related development, Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi has now written to the Commissioner, seeking urgent coordination between the engineering and sanitation wings. The letter flagged shortage of trolleys and manpower, urging that mechanical sweeping be executed without interruptions. The Deputy Mayor has requested that the matter be added as a table item in the House meeting on October 1 so that corrective steps can be finalised to ensure cleaner roads across the city.
