Chandigarh, July 6 -- More than seven months after tabling a proposal to formalise a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with door-to-door garbage collectors, the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) is yet to finalise the policy, leaving the crucial reform initiative in limbo. The draft MoU aimed to streamline Chandigarh's waste management system by introducing stricter service norms, biometric attendance, and expanded coverage for all residential floors. However, after the proposal was deferred in the MC House meeting last October, it has not been brought back for discussion-stalling the implementation of the policy indefinitely. In 2020, the civic body had launched the door-to-door garbage collection system in residential areas using compartmentalised vehicles and trained drivers. According to the corporation, the service is provided to 100% households, and the waste is collected in segregated form - dry, wet, sanitary, domestic hazardous and plastic. Accordingly, MC had signed a MoU with around 926 door-to-door garbage collectors individually, from January 1, 2021 to December 12, 2022. The said MoU has time and again extended, as the terms and conditions are under review by officials. In the new policy draft, the civic body had planned significant upgrades to its waste collection operations. These included ensuring that garbage is collected from every floor of residential buildings-addressing persistent complaints from residents, especially the elderly on upper floors, who struggle to bring down their waste. The reforms also proposed a biometric attendance system to ensure timely and consistent service and introduced penalties for non-compliance, such as skipping households, failing to wear uniforms or ID cards, or demanding money from residents. However, several provisions of the draft have met resistance from the garbage collectors themselves, who have raised objections, particularly to the biometric attendance requirement and the penalty clauses. The lack of consensus between the MC and the field staff has effectively halted progress on the policy. MC officials say the draft MoU was meant to improve both resident convenience and service reliability. "Under the new draft, waste collectors would be required to work from 7 am to 2 pm, six days a week, and could take the help of an additional worker only if servicing more than 300 households. Collectors were also to nominate a relative or substitute to take over duties in case of illness or death. Importantly, MC also proposed several welfare measures for its sanitation workers, including uniforms, timely salaries, insurance, annual health checkups, paid leaves, and a Rs.10 lakh welfare fund to support medical or educational needs of workers and their families." "Despite these incentives, the proposal has not progressed due to a failure to build consensus with garbage collectors, who are raising objections over various terms and conditions. The draft MoU is still being reviewed by a joint committee of councillors, officials, and garbage collector representatives. We are hoping to finalise the draft soon," said a senior MC official....