BHUBANESWAR: Eight petrol pumps in the city will provide fuel to door-to-door garbage collection vehicles on priority to ensure waste collection from residential areas remains unaffected.
BMC officials said the step has been taken in view of the huge rush at petrol pumps for the last four days owing to the fuel crisis fear, which made it difficult for waste lifting vehicles to get their stock in time. Sources said in some cases, garbage collection vehicles couldn’t even collect waste from wards for two or more days due to this issue.
As the crisis mounted, the civic body held talks with IOCL and HPCL following which eight petrol pumps have been designated in the city where the garbage collection vehicles will be provided fuel on priority, a BMC official said.
He said the corporation has around 500 waste collection vehicles. These vehicles will move to the petrol pumps during lean periods in the evening or early morning, to fill their fuel stock.
The BMC has also decided to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its efforts to reduce dependency on fuel and support environmental protection measures. Officials said the decision has been taken in line with government advisories on climate change, clean environment and reduction in the use of petrol and diesel vehicles.
A BMC official said an Expression of Interest (EoI) has been prepared by the corporation to purchase a fleet of 60 vehicles initially, 50 small/sedan EVs and 10 SUV segment EVs, for the administrative purpose. Interested agencies and firms capable of supplying electric vehicles have been invited to apply.
“Diesel-powered vehicles are being used at present in different departments, including administrative offices, engineering divisions, electrical divisions, sanitation wings, zonal offices and several field projects. However, battery-operated vehicles will gradually be used for transportation,” the officer said adding, the civic body will transition from diesel vehicles to environment-friendly EVs in a phased manner.