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Time of India
21-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Stuck in the muck: Panchkula's waste drive falters despite years of push
Panchkula: Despite years of efforts to implement door-to-door collection and waste segregation, Panchkula's solid waste management system remains stuck in a state of inefficiency and neglect, with key goals still unmet. As per the latest Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, waste collection has failed to cover all households, leaving 39% of the areas underserved. Besides this, segregation at source has not met desired results, with only 20% of waste being segregated, says the survey. Residents say that the data could differ from the 'worse' ground reality, despite the fact that they pay annual collection charges to the Panchkula municipal corporation and monthly charges to private door-to-door garbage collectors. 'Collectors mix segregated waste' The president of the Federation of Residents Association (FORA), R P Malhotra, stated, "The ground reality is more worrisome. As far as wet and dry waste segregation at the source is concerned, even if the residents segregate it, the collectors mix it. They have not made separate waste containers in their carts. The failure of the municipal corporation is evident in the fact that garbage collection has still not reached every household. The agency responsible for the task is earning quite well. However, it has not been held accountable. To top it all, we are paying double charges." Echoing similar views, S K Nayar, president of the Citizens Welfare Association, commented, "We have stopped giving waste to MC's collectors as they were not segregating the waste and collection was irregular. We have now hired private collectors, who segregate the waste. The real question is why residents are paying for waste collection and segregation at two levels when the system is still not functioning properly. It's high time it is improved. Besides this, collectors or residents who are dumping the waste in the open in different parts of the city should be penalised." Additionally, the absence of the city's own waste processing plant is a significant hindrance to effective waste management. The city's solid waste is sent to Ambala for processing. There is neither a processing facility nor designated dumping areas for horticulture and construction and demolition waste. They too are found dumped here and there. Waste generation vs processing was given a 51 per cent score in the survey. A silver lining On a brighter side, the city got 99 per cent marks for the remediation of dumpsites. However, residents find the score higher when compared to the remaining legacy waste. As per the MC, the high score is due to the clearing of the dump at Jhuriwala by remediation of the legacy waste. The remaining dump at Sector 23 is expected to be cleared soon as the work is in the final stages. Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal told TOI, "We have recently distributed bins in Sector 15 to encourage segregation. We are also improving the system. As far as waste collection is concerned, it stands at 61 per cent because the garbage is not getting lifted from slums or colonies — which are with some HSVP and it is not possible to implement it there — and housing societies, where people have their own arrangements." Box: CLEANLINESS CHECK or DUMPS N DATA State of solid waste management ((as per Swachh Survekshan 2024-25) Category | Score Source segregation | 20 per cent Door-to-door collection of waste | 61 per cent Waste generation vs processing | 51 per cent Remediation of dumpsites | 99 per cent MSID:: 122818563 413 |
Newsweek
11-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Florida Makes Major Change to Insurance Industry: What To Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 5013 into law earlier this month, terminating one state-funded reinsurance program and substantially cutting funding for a second. Newsweek contacted DeSantis' press office for comment on Friday via email outside regular office hours. Why It Matters In 2022, the Reinsurance to Assist Policyholders (RAP) program was created in Florida with taxpayer funding to reimburse insurers for losses related to hurricanes, providing additional funding for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. Securing insurance in Florida and other states impacted by extreme weather has become a major issue for many property owners, with premiums surging in recent years. A reduction in state support for the reinsurance market could result in a greater reliance on private companies, potentially causing premiums to increase. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference on April 10, 2025, in Miami. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference on April 10, 2025, in Miami. Joe Raedle/GETTY What To Know Florida House Bill 5013 reduces RAP program funding by $900 million and also repeals the legislation that created the Florida Operational Reinsurance Assistance Program (FORA), which received an additional $1 billion to cover reinsurance claims. Initially, RAP was supposed to last for only two years, but the plan was extended after Hurricane Ian caused extensive property damage in 2022. A report from industry publication ReInsurance Business found that payments under the RAP did not meet initial expectations. The 2022 Hurricane Nicole did not result in RAP disbursements because of threshold limits, while Hurricane Idalia in 2023 led to only $15 million being transferred, freeing up additional capital that is now being returned to the general state revenue. By comparison, after Hurricane Ian, $800 million was transferred into the RAP, with the State Board of Administration forecasting that about 50 companies would receive full payouts from the plan. The summary of Florida House Bill 5013 states: "HB 5013 reduces, from $2 billion to $900 million, the General Revenue (GR) Fund transfers authorized under the Reinsurance to Assist Policyholders (RAP) Program to reimburse eligible insurers for covered losses. The bill repeals the Florida Optional Reinsurance Assistance (FORA) Program, including $1 billion of authorized General Revenue Fund transfers that are available under the program to reimburse eligible insurers for covered losses. "By reducing the cap for transfers to the RAP program and repealing the FORA program, the bill increases the amount of unallocated General Revenue funds available by $2.1 billion." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether private insurers will be able to pick up the slack caused by the reduction in state support without increasing customer premiums. It will depend in part on the severity of future hurricanes that hit Florida.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Power bill shocker: Pkl locals ready to knock at HERC doors
Panchkula: Concerned residents of Panchkula have come together to draft and circulate a petition in response to a recent steep increase in power bills. The petition, drafted by the Federation of Residents Associations (FORA), an umbrella body of residents welfare associations, will be formally submitted to the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission on Thursday in a bid to challenge and reduce the hike. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Residents have shown solidarity and pushed for fair and affordable utility pricing. "We studied different bills and found that the cumulative effect of this revision, as notified by the respondent, is not only excessive and disproportionate but also amounts to an unjust enrichment by way of inflated charges imposed on consumers without adequate justification or supporting cost analysis. These arbitrary escalations, especially in the domestic and industrial sectors, violate the principle of reasonableness in tariff setting, fail to protect the consumer interest envisaged under the Electricity Act, 2003, and merit urgent judicial scrutiny," said RP Malhotra, president, FORA. "Thus, we are moving the petition Thursday. During elections, we were told that no power rates would be hiked, but the opposite happened, that too unannounced. Fixed charges are adding to a huge increase," he added. Solution Box's founder Mohit Gupta said, "At this stage, very few people understand the implications. It is around Rs 10,000 per year for 10 kW+ connections and Rs 4,000 per year for 5 kW connections. Add to this the enhanced slab rates. It will make a huge impact on small and medium domestic consumers." B R Mehta, a Sector 25 resident, said, "How will HERC justify before the court of law when challenged legally that consumers with much higher consumption are getting much lower bills than consumers with much lower consumption being asked to pay much higher amounts of bills?" Many residents said they have received bills with an increase of almost 100 to 400% compared to last year's bill. They are calling it illogical while the power department has said they have prepared bills as per commission's revised order. The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission had raised domestic and industrial categories from 20 to 30 paise per kWh (kilowatt hours)/kVAh from last year. MSID:: 121627153 413 |
