THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite achieving over 90% coverage in collection of non-biodegradable waste, the Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) units in the capital continue to face a major bottleneck — lack of sufficient vehicles to transport collected waste to Material Collection Facilities (MCFs).
Around 1,200 HKS workers are engaged across all 100 wards, and each member is earning an average of Rs 25,000 per month through user fee collection. In the 2024-25 fiscal, around `3.32 crore was collected as user fee charges.
However, the long-standing project to procure 100 dedicated battery-operated three-wheeler carriers — one per ward — remains stalled, causing strain on units that must move waste in hired vehicles or keep the collected waste accumulated. There are around 35 MCFs across the city.
A senior official from the Thiruvananthapuram city corporation admitted that the plan could not move forward due to issues in the original technical specifications of the proposed vehicles. “The specifications weren’t feasible for implementation. We are now in the process of re-tendering,” the official said.
Each month, the capital manages nearly 1,000 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste. To support disposal, the corporation currently depends on Clean Kerala Company Ltd (CKCL) and a private agency, both engaged in collecting and transporting waste to cement plants for scientific disposal. CKCL now handles waste from around 60 wards, while the remaining wards are serviced by the private firm.
With the current contract period drawing to a close, the corporation has invited fresh tenders to bring new service providers on board. According to officials, the tender will be opened this month. The CKCL is also planning to take part in the tendering process.
Corp invites fresh tenders
With the current contract period drawing to a close, the corporation has invited fresh tenders to bring new service providers on board