Jaipur: Residents in the city are questioning the door-to-door garbage collection system, citing irregular waste pickup and bills being issued for multiple months at once without a month-wise break-up. Though households are expected to pay a fixed monthly fee, many say they cannot verify how the charged amount is calculated.The RFID-based system operates in 10 of Jaipur Municipal Corporation’s (JMC) 13 zones, tracking garbage collection vehicles and monitoring whether waste is collected regularly. Despite this, residents in several localities report irregular visits by garbage hoppers.JMC does not collect user-fee directly. Private companies awarded contracts in each zone are responsible for both waste collection and fee recovery. Municipal guidelines require companies to issue an official slip every month, but residents allege bills arrive after three to eight months, listing only the total period covered and the total payable amount.Prashant Pandit, a resident of Murlipura, said, “My last bill covered January to May period and mentioned a charge of Rs 560. The sanitation workers’ supervisor was also clueless on how the amount was calculated. He said data was fed into the machine and the amount charged accordingly.”Barkha, a resident of C-Scheme, said, “For the past year, I have been receiving bills every four months. The amount can be anything between Rs 400 and Rs 800. The garbage vehicle drivers hand us the bills, so whom do we ask about the calculation? The vehicle does not arrive on time, and on top of that, we have to pay such a high charge.”RFID-based fee collection is not there in Jhotwara, Sanganer and Jagatpura. In the other 10 zones, Urban Enviro Waste Management Limited and Ravi Travellers handle collection and recovery.JMC deputy commissioner (garage) Atul Sharma said, “As per tender conditions, the company must issue bills every month. If bills are issued after several months, action can be taken against the company.” He added, “Residents can lodge a complaint with the municipal corporation if this is happening in their zone. There is no provision for issuing a bill for a year or several months at a time.”
