HYDERABAD: The GHMC will launch as many as 650 Swachh Auto Tippers (SATs) on March 25 to cover newly formed areas in all 30 circles under the civic body. Presently, there are 2,500 SATs running in the city. The new vehicles will be provided with a partition for carrying wet and dry waste separately, as well as a provision for hazardous waste collection. All the autos will be equipped with public address systems. Each auto will be covering 600 households.
The allotment of autos is purely based on the number of uncovered areas in each circle. The procurement of vehicles is under the Driver cum Owner scheme, in which 10 per cent of the cost of the vehicle is borne by the beneficiary and the remaining 90 per cent is raised through loans from banks with a repayment option of 72 months. The initiative has increased the collection efficiency of waste from 3,500 tonnes in 2016 to 4,500 tonnes in 2017.