Uproar in standing committee over buying Rs 18 crore vehicles for waste firm

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The municipal corporation appointed a Gujarat-based company, Western Imaginary, for waste collection in the city. Even before appointing this company, the mechanical section had already purchased vehicles worth Rs 18 crore using government funds to hand over to the waste management company. Despite this not being the corporation’s responsibility, questions were raised as to why public funds were misused. During Tuesday’s standing committee meeting, both ruling and opposition corporators questioned who was attempting to benefit the company. On this issue, the administration appeared to be on the back foot.

The state government had allocated nearly Rs 32 crore to the municipal corporation for setting up waste transfer stations. So far, three such stations have been constructed, while work on the remaining three is still pending. To transport waste from these transfer stations to garbage processing centres, the corporation purchased enclosed, capsule-like vehicles at a cost of Rs 18 crore.

Why is the company a ‘favourite’ of the administration? No clear answer

During the standing committee meeting, corporator Amit Bhuigal asked how many vehicles had been purchased for waste management. Executive Engineer (mechanical) Amol Kulkarni initially responded, “None.” However, when Rajgaurav Wankhede challenged this and stated that they were fully aware of when and how the purchases were made, Kulkarni admitted that vehicles had indeed been procured. This angered Bhuigal, who questioned why misleading information was given initially and alleged that the entire exercise was aimed at benefiting the waste management company. Kulkarni was left on the defensive on this matter.

Allegations of inadequate procurement for the fire section

When asked about the number of vehicles purchased for the fire section, Kulkarni replied that 15 vehicles had been procured. This included three high-rise firefighting vehicles, each capable of reaching heights of 36 metres, costing Rs 15 crore in total. Corporators questioned what arrangements had been made to rescue people trapped inside buildings. Kulkarni said that an additional vehicle of that type would be procured. This response triggered laughter in the house. The committee chairman Anil Makariye directed that detailed information be presented in the next meeting.

Purchase of ten capsule vehicles

The municipal corporation spent Rs 18 crore to procure 10 capsule-type vehicles. Each vehicle is fitted with a separate plastic capsule unit. At present, these vehicles are being used by a private company to transport waste.