Solid waste management changed in Chennai

Chennai:Onyx will be replaced by Neel Metal, a private firm, for providing solid waste management services in the city. Neel Metal has won the bid for garbage collection and disposal.The commercial bids for privatised solid waste management in four zones — Ice House, Kodambakkam, Adyar and Pulianthope — were opened on Wednesday. Neel Metal quoted the lowest charges.

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, on behalf of the Chennai Corporation, had invited global bids for solid waste management in April. Kodambakkam and Pulianthope zones was clubbed as one package and Adyar and Ice House zones as the other. Firms were short-listed for the commercial bids after their technical bids were evaluated.Neel Metal has quoted about Rs. 675 per tonne and Rs. 655 per tonne for the two packages. IL and FS, another firm that had bid for the project, came a close second with Rs. 15 – Rs. 20 higher per tonne than the Neel Metal bid.

Onyx, which handled waste management in the last seven years, had quoted Rs. 1,150 per tonne as its charges.The winning bid will be presented before the Chennai Corporation Council, which is scheduled to meet on Friday. If it is ratified by the Council, it will be sent to the State Government for approval.Onyx’s extended contract comes to an end on August 24, after which Neel Metal will take over the work.bout 1,000 workers will be employed for the privatised solid waste management.