Hyderabad, Mar 30 (TNT): The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged serious deficiencies in solid waste management (SWM) across Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Telangana, highlighting gaps in planning, fund utilisation, monitoring and implementation.
According to the CAG Report on Local Bodies for the period ending March 2022, presented in the State Legislature on Monday, the State lacked a comprehensive policy framework clearly defining roles and responsibilities of personnel involved in SWM.
The report also noted that key strategies such as reduction, reuse and recycling (3R) were not adequately addressed.
The audit found that most ULBs failed to prepare long-term and short-term plans for SWM, limiting systematic waste management efforts.
While the State aimed to restrict landfill waste to 20 per cent, this target was achieved only in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
Financial management was also found wanting, with 14 test-checked ULBs failing to fully utilise funds under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, leaving 37 per cent of allocated funds unspent as of March 2022.
GHMC also failed to collect tipping fees amounting to ₹47.77 crore from multiple local bodies.
On operational aspects, the report highlighted that despite provision of bins, source segregation was not effectively implemented, with waste being transported and dumped in mixed form.
The State also lacked guidelines for inclusion and registration of waste pickers.
The audit further pointed out that GHMC paid ₹313.20 crore towards treatment and disposal of dry waste to a concessionaire despite non-processing of waste during the period from 2012 to 2020.
In terms of infrastructure, more than 50 per cent of unprocessed waste in the test-checked ULBs was being dumped in open sites due to lack of landfill facilities, posing environmental and health risks.
The report also flagged absence of a notified policy for construction and demolition (C&D) waste management and inadequate capacity utilisation of existing plants, leading to accumulation of waste.
Monitoring mechanisms were found to be weak, with no ward-level committees or dedicated monitoring teams in place to review SWM performance.
In a separate compliance audit, the CAG reported a revenue loss of ₹2.29 crore due to incorrect levy of environment impact fee by GHMC, and flagged short collection of library cess amounting to ₹324.96 crore by ULBs.
TNT TS
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