COIMBATORE: Though it has been a year after Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC)’s announcement on procuring and inducting 105 dump trucks, battery vehicles, earthmovers and mechanical road sweeping machines, the sanitary workers are yet to get any of them as the civic body is awaiting the minister’s date to officially deploy them.
The city has been reeking of garbage that is thrown away on the streets due to the waste overflowing from the dump bins in all 100 wards of the five zones. The councillors, resident welfare associations and activists have been demanding the civic body for a long time to procure additional vehicles to clear the waste from the streets.
Apart from the public, even the councillors submitted numerous petitions to the civic body demanding the latter to buy new vehicles in order to intensify the segregated and door-to-door garbage collection in the city. The people’s representatives also highlighted their demands during the council meetings to the CCMC mayor as well as the commissioner. But all went in vain.
A CCMC official told TNIE, “The procurement of new mini-dump trucks was delayed due to various issues. Earlier, the civic body was awaiting the funds and nod from the higher authorities, then the trucks had to undergo custom modification and fabrication works to its body in order to make them suitable for segregated garbage collection.
Currently, all 105 mini dump trucks and about 60 battery vehicles and two mechanical road sweeping machines have been procured and have been ready to be deployed. The civic body is waiting for the minister’s date to officially induct them to the service.”
With the city in dire need of these vehicles to keep the roads clean, the civic body’s delay in putting them to use due to the minister’s date has left people concerned.