Mohali, Jan. 28 -- Amid the growing garbage crisis, the Mohali municipal corporation (MC) is all set to launch its long-pending door-to-door segregated waste collection programme from Wednesday. Under the initiative, households, commercial establishments and offices will be required to segregate waste at source into wet, dry and hazardous categories. Titled 'Door-to-door fresh waste collection, segregation and transportation project, the programme will be formally inaugurated by Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh and executed by M/s Suntan Life Pvt. Ltd under a public-private partnership (PPP) model for a period of three years. It is being touted as a first-of-its-kind initiative in Punjab. MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh said the project would bring much-needed structure and accountability to Mohali's waste collection system. "This is the first structured door-to-door segregated waste collection project in the state. It will formalise the role of informal workers and ensure scientific waste handling from the point of generation to disposal," he said. To curb illegal dumping and improve monitoring, the MC has planned a robust surveillance mechanism under the project. "Continuous patrolling and monitoring systems will be put in place to ensure effective supervision of door-to-door waste collection across the city. A dedicated patrolling team will conduct round-the-clock checks to prevent illegal dumping, identify vulnerable garbage points and ensure timely cleaning and reporting," the commissioner added. "The civic body will also establish a complaint redressal cell along with a toll-free helpline number to address public grievances. A central control and command Centre will be set up for real-time monitoring of operations. This will enable tracking of collection vehicles, service oversight and timely intervention to ensure services are delivered as per prescribed standards," Singh added. "With the formal launch of this waste segregation project, we will appeal to residents to cooperate and segregate waste at the household level. Once 100% door-to-door collection is ensured, penalties will be imposed on households that fail to comply with segregation norms. Segregation will help in faster waste processing. If residents participate actively, this initiative will significantly mitigate the garbage crisis that Mohali is currently facing," the commissioner added. At present, Mohali lacks a formal and organised garbage collection mechanism. Waste is largely collected by sanitation workers who are not officially hired by the MC. These workers collect waste from households, segregate it informally and dump it at Refuse Management Collection (RMC) points - the first stage of garbage disposal. They are not paid by the civic body and depend primarily on the sale of recyclable waste for income. The garbage crisis has deteriorated further after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the closure of the dumping ground in Phase 8, leaving the MC without a designated site to dump or process waste. Mohali generates nearly 160-170 metric tonnes of waste daily, including garbage from surrounding areas, and the absence of a formal disposal facility has brought daily collection and processing to a near standstill. Currently, the city has two waste processing locations - Phase 5 (Shahimajra) and Phase 11 (Jagatpura) - both of which are facing strong resistance from nearby residents. The MC is in discussions with the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to identify alternate sites, either temporary or permanent, to manage waste until a proposed Compressed Biogas (CBG) waste processing plant at Samgoli village in Dera Bassi becomes operational. The project, however, is expected to take at least two years to complete....