TIRUCHY: The Tiruchy corporation has blacklisted a Bengaluru-based firm over the condition of the specialised vehicles provided to unload the semi-underground bins installed in public places in the city.
The corporation had installed 40 semi-underground bins in places near the Gandhi market area in December last year as the commercial hub alone generates over 10 tonnes of waste every day. However, it faced challenges in commissioning the bins due to delay in procuring specialised vehicles to unload the bins.
The corporation, which faced criticism after waste was seen littered near the bins, said the project faced delay due to the private firm tasked with the project. "It was a Rs 14 crore project. The company which took up the work provided us the bins. We were supposed to receive two special vehicles to collect garbage from these bins. They provided the vehicles last month.
However, the vehicles failed to meet the criteria for motor vehicle registration," a corporation official said. Officials said the corporation considered these factors before blacklisting the firm. "There was so much delay in getting the vehicles and the ones we got failed to meet the required criteria. Therefore, we blacklisted the firm and they would not get any contract from us.
We have also cut down the project cost from `14 crore to `2 crore," the official added. Sources said that the corporation will now ensure that the existing semi-underground bins are being used. "We are expecting that the issue regarding the special vehicles would get sorted within a week or two. The corporation is likely to give that vehicle to the private sanitation firm that currently manages the city's garbage collection," a source said.