NMC orders probe into garbage collection mess, Rs 40 crore penalties already imposed

August 8, 2026 Headlinesnews

Nagpur: Facing mounting complaints over erratic door-to-door garbage collection and alleged manipulation in waste handling and billing, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has ordered a high-level inquiry into the functioning of its two sanitation contractors.

Municipal Commissioner Vipin Itankar has constituted a committee headed by the Additional Commissioner to investigate complaints against Antony Waste Handling Cell and BVG India. The panel has been given 25 days to submit its findings, which will then be placed before the NMC General Body.

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The inquiry assumes significance amid allegations that garbage contractors allegedly mixed sand and boulders with collected waste to artificially increase the weight of garbage and, consequently, inflate billing. The committee will examine service records, complaints received from citizens, collection data and billing documents to determine whether there were irregularities and lapses in the system.

The panel will also assess the actual performance of both agencies and examine whether they have complied with the terms and conditions of their contracts. Its recommendations could have a direct bearing on the future of Nagpur’s door-to-door garbage collection system and determine whether the existing contractor-based model should be retained, modified or scrapped.

The action comes against the backdrop of sustained criticism from elected representatives over the city’s deteriorating sanitation services. Central Nagpur MLA Pravin Datke has repeatedly raised the issue of irregular garbage collection and overflowing bins. He also took up the matter during the recent monsoon session of the State Legislature, highlighting missed pickups and mounting garbage in several wards.

Corporators have similarly accused Antony Waste Handling Cell and BVG India of failing to maintain consistent door-to-door collection services. With complaints continuing to surface, the NMC General Body had earlier passed a resolution seeking termination of the contracts of both agencies.

Several corporators have also advocated a complete overhaul of the existing system, demanding that the NMC appoint 10 separate contractors, one for each of the city’s 10 zones. They argue that a decentralised arrangement would make contractors more accountable and enable the civic administration to monitor sanitation operations more effectively.

The financial aspect of the controversy is equally significant. According to a senior official from the NMC’s Solid Waste Management Department, the civic body has imposed penalties of Rs 20 crore each on Antony Waste Handling Cell and BVG India since November 2019, taking the total penalties imposed on the two agencies to Rs 40 crore for lapses in door-to-door garbage collection.

The latest inquiry will therefore not merely examine complaints of missed garbage pickups but is expected to scrutinise the larger functioning of the city’s waste collection machinery, including alleged billing irregularities and the effectiveness of the contractors’ operations.

With the report due within 25 days, the probe could become a crucial test of whether the NMC is prepared to fix accountability for Nagpur’s long-running garbage collection woes.