HYDERABAD: To prevent misuse of Swachh Auto Tippers (SATs) by the drivers in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the State government has decided to install Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in the vehicles to track their movement.
The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department directed the ULBs to fix GPS devices in the SATs by January 30, 2022. If the orders are not complied with, payments would be held back.
"Details may be worked out for installation of GPS in SATs in the next six weeks and actions taken should be intimated to MAUD Department. The payment and bank rentals may be held back for all SATs where GPS is not installed by January 30, 2022," Arvind Kumar stated.
Officials have noticed that the SAT drivers are mainly collecting waste from commercial establishments as the user charges for collection are higher and are neglecting domestic waste collection. They added that several drivers are also using the SATs to transport goods.
In the city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had removed garbage bins from the roads. Many SAT drivers are not turning up to collect garbage, forcing the people to dump the garbage on the roads.
MAUD Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar, in a letter to the GHMC and Commissioner and Director Municipal Administration (CDMA), instructed that SATs must have GPS devices installed so that proper mapping of their entire route can be carried out. This will ensure that door-to-door collection of garbage is carried out, he added.