Hyderabad: In a shocking admission that raises serious questions about the city's waste management system, a Right to Information (RTI) query has confirmed that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has no formal sanitation policy.

The revelation comes from a Right to Information (RTI) reply from the office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, GHMC, that exposes a system operating in a complete policy vacuum, where nearly 4,500 Swachh Auto Tippers (SATs) function without any oversight, leaving citizens to fend for themselves.

The query was filed by activist Sashi Kumar through Yugantar, a Hyderabad-based NGO which helps in filing RTI through its exclusive website, seeking clarity on the rules governing garbage collection. The response from the Commissioner of GHMC's office was blunt, “There is no such Sanitation Policy in GHMC.” Lambasting the same, Lubna Sarwath, an environmental activist and Indian National Congress leader, said, “GHMC replying there is no sanitation policy is the most funny thing,” she said, highlighting the absurdity of the situation.

The RTI response reveals that the entire operation is run as a ‘Self-Employed Scheme.’ The SAT operators are not GHMC employees, nor are they hired through formal contractors.

‘No Such Contractor’: The chilling response to accountability

The most damning part of the response was the repeated use of the phrase “No such Contractor” in answer to critical questions about accountability. Queries about oversight mechanisms by GHMC to ensure contractors follow free garbage collection policies for households, terms of the contract related to household garbage collection including whether contractors are permitted to charge for SAT services and the contractors in areas like Moosarambagh and Charminar Circle, the terms of their contracts, were all met with this same dismissive answer.

Most critically, the RTI response confirms there is absolutely no mechanism to hold anyone accountable for malpractices. “When asked about penalties for SAT workers demanding unauthorized payments, the GHMC's answer was a simple ‘No such Contractor,’" the response read.

According to the RTI reply, the GHMC has sanctioned a user fee structure, mandating households to pay between Rs 25 and Rs 50 per month directly to the auto driver. “The SAT workers are not employees of GHMC, they are operating in the colonies for the Self-Employment Mode. Most of them are deployed by the colony associations,” the RTI reply read. Pointing out the same, Lubna Sarwath said, “The GHMC has effectively legalized a 'pay-as-you-throw' system run by private individuals with no oversight. Where does a citizen go if a SAT worker demands Rs 200 instead of Rs 50? Usually, that is the case. Who ensures that every household is served? The answer from the GHMC is: nobody. This is a complete failure of governance.”

Activists and leaders slam ‘irresponsible’ GHMC

“RTI reveals @CommissionrGHMC has no sanitation policy & no contractors. Garbage collection is under a self-employment mode with SATs charging the public directly(sic),” said Hyderabad-based RTI activist Kareem Ansari taking to X(twitter).

Lubna Sarwath pointed out the glaring gap between policy and practice. While the RTI response claims "Daily frequency collection of segregated waste,” the ground reality is starkly different. “Both solid and liquid waste are collected without any segregation at the household level, defeating the purpose at the initial stage,” she stated from both public and personal experience.

Sarwath emphasized that waste management is a mandatory function of the GHMC by law. “It is an irresponsible and unacceptable reply on the part of the GHMC. They should ensure waste management. They can’t escape their responsibility by giving such an irresponsible reply.”

She further explained the domino effect of this failure, unsegregated waste collected at the household level is transferred to stations and then to the Jawahar Nagar dumping yard, where private players often step in to capitalize on the mess.

Lastly,she called for GHMC to take responsibility by ensuring segregation at source and decentralizing waste treatment to the ward level. “There are solid waste management rules and GHMC has to ensure proper waste management. GHMC has to take responsibility and ensure segregation at the initial stage and decentralize handling where the household segregated waste is treated at the ward level,” demaned Lubna Sarwath .