Corporators had proposed, procuring vehicles for every ward, but the solid waste management (SWM) department said that it would be a waste of money since operating costs are high and not all wards need them. In this instance though, the SWM had solid reasons (pun intended) for turning down a proposal to procure rickshaw tempos to collect waste from wards in the city.
The standing committee had, sometime ago, made a budgetary provision of Rs 6.5 crore for the purchase of small vehicles to collect waste from households. Last week, corporators had placed a proposal before the standing committee, demanding that this fund be used to procure rickshaw tempos. SWM officials have objected, saying it would be a waste of money.
The price of a rickshaw tempo is about Rs 4.5 to Rs 5 lakh, but it is the cost of running and maintaining these vehicles which is a bother. SWM officials said that each vehicle would need a driver and a helper and their remuneration would work out to between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,200 a day. Also, the carrying capacity of a rickshaw tempo is between 150 kg and 175 kg, depending on the type of load. The running cost per tonne works out to about Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 a day.
Moreover, there is a question of reliability as these vehicles frequently breakdown.
SWM officials cited the examples of 40 such vehicles that it already possesses.They added that, these vehicles are falling to rust at the corporation depot because the department has neither men nor tools to repair them. Spare parts too are not easily available. The only way to get these vehicles back on the road is to send them to dealer service centres for repairs, but this is an expensive proposition.
Currently, the SWM department has contracted SWaCH Seva Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit to collect garbage from households in the city. SWaCH workers go from door to door on foot, collecting waste. It is then segregated and loaded on dump trucks for disposal. They also said, the corporation must consider factors such as area (slums for example), width of roads, population density and necessity before deciding whether to purchase these vehicles. Not all wards require these vehicles. The corporation will also have to make provisions for increase in manpower, parking space and a separate workshop to maintain these vehicles.
Standing committee chairman admitted that the points raised by the SWM department were valid and warrant a thorough discussion and they will consider these aspects at the committee meeting.
