GUWAHATI, Aug 31: Guwahati’s garbage seems to have found a permanent address – outside residents’ homes. With collection vehicles making only occasional appearances, waste bags continue to pile up, as a basic municipal service continues to elude a vast segment of the citizens.Garbage management has long been a challenge for the city. In a bid to ensure timely collection, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) outsourced the task to various NGOs.However, residents across the city allege that for years, the agencies entrusted with the job are failing to maintain regular collection schedules, leaving households with little choice but to store their waste for days and, in some cases, weeks.Residents of Jayanagar, Wireless (Beltola), Dakshingaon, Gandhibasti and Noonmati, among other areas, told The Assam Tribune that irregular collection has become a recurring problem, prompting questions over the implementation and monitoring of the system.Beltola resident Pankaj Kumar Haloi said the problem was not a recent one, alleging that the agencies assigned to collect household waste often operate without a fixed schedule.“On the surface, the agencies may appear responsible for the lapses, but the larger question is who is monitoring their work and who is finally accountable. Ultimately, the GMC is responsible for ensuring that the system works,” he said.“Announcements of ambitious plans and frequent social media updates cannot substitute for implementation. The existing system needs to work on the ground,” he added.A Sixmile resident, Amarendra Rabha, demanded that the GMC make public details of the garbage collection system and its performance.“We are not looking for excuses; we need facts. If taxpayers’ money is being spent on garbage collection, people should know whether the system is delivering what it promises,” he said.He added, “ As responsible citizens, we cannot throw garbage onto the streets. But what option are we left with when the collection vehicle does not arrive? My front yard has practically become a temporary dumping ground.”Meanwhile, GMC Mayor Mrigen Sarania attributed the problem to the unavailability of adequate transfer stations, saying their closure had disrupted the existing collection mechanism.He said, “Earlier, we had several transfer points in areas such as Tripura Road, Hatigaon and Dakshingaon. These allowed garbage to be collected from households, including those in narrow bylanes, and temporarily deposited at the sites. GMC would then transport the accumulated waste to the Boragaon landfill.”He added that using the smaller collection vehicles to transport garbage all the way to Boragaon was neither practical nor feasible, given their limited carrying capacity and the distance involved.“We understand that the transfer points caused inconvenience to nearby residents, but their closure happened rather abruptly, and we are facing the consequences of that transition,” he said.Sarania further said the GMC had acquired land at Basistha for another transfer station, which, he said, would help address the problem.The Mayor urged citizens to remain patient, assuring that measures were being taken to restore a more effective garbage collection system.Guwahati is desperately in need of immediate intervention as the garbage problem threatens to spiral further out of control. What should be a basic civic service has become a daily ordeal for residents, with the stench of unattended waste increasingly becoming the city's unwelcome signature – almost a “welcome address” at the doorstep of every household.