Residents would have to wait for at least two months before the ambitious garbage management project of the civic body starts to deliver.

The constant delay in the ambitious integrated solid management project has left residents in the lurch. (See graphic)

The proposal for floating tenders for the project and fixing rates for door-to-door collection of waste would be tabled at the next meeting of the empowered standing committee of the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) on June 29.

Even if it gets the sanction of the standing committee immediately, it would encounter a few more hurdles. It would have to go to the civic body board for approval. Only then would the tenders be floated.

PMC sources said it would take at least three months for the commencement of the door-to-door collection of garbage, delivery of roadside bins and collection vehicles essential to make it a success.

Abha Lata, the councillor from ward number 4 and a member of the standing committee, decried the delay in the project to deliver an essential service to the citizens. “There has been an enormous delay in the implementation of the solid waste management project.”

Lata said: “We have been repeatedly demanding that tenders for this project be floated immediately.”

Tenders for procurement of metal bins, garbage collection vehicles and outsourcing of door-to-door collection service would be issued on the basis of documents prepared earlier by the BUIDCo.

“After the nod from the standing committee, the proposal would go to the PMC board for final approval. The bidding could take around a month. Then, the selected firm would also take around three to four weeks to deliver the equipment. It is expected to take at least two months from now,” said a senior PMC officer.

While the project takes its own sweet time, the residents are fuming. “The stretch of Kurji Road from Ganga Apartment to Rajapur Pul is lined with heaps of garbage. It is the same with most other roads in the city. When it starts to rain, the stench from the garbage heaps becomes unbearable,” said Abhinav Kumar, a resident of Boring Road.

The delay of would also cost the residents more, as the equipment required to provide the services would be more expensive now than at the time the project was proposed.

As the equipment usually has a lifespan of five years, those availing of the door-to-door service would be charged a monthly fee. For households, it would be Rs 60; Rs 300 for shops, Rs 100 for hotels and Rs 10,000 for hospitals. A private firm would be engaged for the service.