Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
To make the city clean and attractive, the municipal corporation appointed a private company from Gujarat. The company has been ready for the past two months with a fleet of 525 vehicles for garbage waste collection. However, the corporation itself appears unprepared. Transfer station work remains incomplete, the MSEDCL has not installed transformers (DPs) at three locations, there is no system for weighing waste, and there are no charging facilities for electric vehicles. Despite this, officials are claiming that waste collection will commence on May 1.
The Corporation awarded the contract to a company experienced in waste collection in the top 10 cities under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The company has invested crores of rupees. It is the responsibility of the municipal corporation to provide the basic infrastructure required for the company to begin operations. However, there appears to be a complete lack of coordination between the solid waste, mechanical, construction, and electrical sections of the corporation.
Transfer stations, facilities where waste from collection vehicles is transferred into large capsules (transport vehicles), have not been set up at N-12, Shivajinagar, and Ramnagar. These locations require independent transformers from the MSEDCL, but none have been installed. No system has been put in place to measure the quantity of waste collected. For the past fortnight, officials have been claiming that the transfer station work is in its final stages, but in reality, much work still remains.
Another shocking fact is that work on transfer stations at MIDC Chikalthana and Kanchanwadi has not even begun. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to find land for a sixth transfer station. The Corporation has also failed to plan where to dispose of silt from drains and debris such as soil and stones from roads.
Work to begin on May 1
The mayor Sameer Rajurkar said, “All planning is nearly complete. Work will be completed on time. The MSEDCL will install transformers within one or two days. Installation of modern systems at three transfer stations is in its final phase. All work will be completed within the next five to six days. There was some lack of coordination between departments, which has now been resolved through discussions. The municipal commissioner Amol Yedge is personally overseeing the work. Under any circumstances, operations will begin on May 1.”
Details of prepared vehicles
Door-to-door collection vehicles: 412
407 vehicles: 50
Tippers: 18
JCB machines: 9
Capsule vehicles: 24
Hook loader vehicles: 12