Residents of Parsi colonies and baugs to put Rs 200 to waste

BPP has outsourced the collection and segregation of garbage from nine colonies and baugs, to a third-party contractor for a minimum of six months. Representation pic

From the end of this month, more than 2,000 residents from nine Parsi colonies and baugs across Mumbai will have to pay an extra Rs 200 along with their rent to have their waste collected, segregated, and disposed by a third-party contractor employed by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP).

BPP's decision to implement this system comes after a plan to set up a waste management plant at Ambawadi - which is in close proximity to Doongerwadi - was scrapped. The project was the brain child of BPP board member Kersi Randeria and was deemed by him to be self-sustainable. It never saw the light of day as another BPP board member Viraf Mehta objected to it, because the suggested location was religiously sensitive.

Viraf Mehta and Yezdi Desai

Essential to come together
But since Parsi colonies and baugs have to adhere to BMC norms, it was essential for BPP and the residents to come together at the earliest to find a solution to their waste management problem. Now, BPP has outsourced the collection and segregation of garbage from nine colonies and baugs, to a third-party contractor for a minimum of six months.

"Some people feel that Ambawadi is a part of Doongerwadi, while others don't really see it the same way. At the end of the day, you're just putting a big plastic tank at the spot," Randeria told mid-day. He added, "This extra R200 will go directly to the vendor. BPP is simply the collecting agency that wall pass it on. For our earlier project, we were going to sell treated dry waste and compost and make money from it." Meanwhile, Mehta said, "I had suggested that the board and residents to split the R200 equally among themselves but that was not agreed to."

'Bear with us'
While asking residents to 'bear with us,' BPP chairman Yezdi Desai said, "Viraf was to work on getting waste management done in the colonies itself, but he did not focus enough attention on it and time ran out. We were left with no choice but to pass on the incurred cost to the residents, since BPP does not have the financial capacity to bear these expenses. From April-end, they will have to start paying rent and Rs 200 extra."

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