This story is from June 11, 2016

Corp to remobilize its ‘garbage fleet’ to ease financial burden

The corporation is all set to revamp the garbage collection and movement system to quash corruption and various discrepancies and thus reduce its financial burden.
Corp to remobilize its ‘garbage fleet’ to ease financial burden
Kochi: The corporation is all set to revamp the garbage collection and movement system to quash corruption and various discrepancies and thus reduce its financial burden. Chairperson of health standing committee V K Minimol said that a decision was taken on Friday to let three executive engineers manage the garbage transport vehicles without much paperwork for minor repairs.

"Now, they can carry out repairs up to Rs 1 lakh without waiting for a file clearance from higher-ups. It was noted that we have been underutilizing our own vehicles citing this reason," she said.
TOI had reported on May 29, highlighting the discrepancies in ferrying garbage that resulted in a financial burden (amounting to crores) for the corporation. TOI reported that the civic body owned 23 tipper trucks, 10 compactor trucks and 44 mini-trucks that were purchased solely for ferrying waste and only 15 tippers, seven compactors and 30 mini-trucks were being used. The rest were kept idle in the name of maintenance. Of the three JCBs it owns, only one was used.
The corporation rented 35-40 tipper trucks each day spending Rs 2,650 per vehicle. Last year, authorities spent Rs 4 crore to hire vehicles and this year, they have earmarked Rs 4.3 crore in the 2016-17 budget.
In another major decision, the committee suggested tonnage-based payment to truck owners. "At present, we are paying them on the basis of trips. It was suggested that payment should be made on the basis of the quantity transported. We had recently caught many trucks that ferried only three tonnes of garbage though the actual capacity was 10. If this system is introduced, we can save more," said Minimol.
Another decision was regarding the new tender to be floated for hiring vehicles for this financial year, a point that was mentioned in the TOI report.
At the May 28 council, authorities had suggested awarding tenders for a span of two-years. But this decision was scrapped.
At the same time, a proposal was floated to award tender to experienced people in the garbage transportation field. This will be put before the council for further discussions. The committee wants to purchase 10 more large compactors to revitalize its garbage fleet. The council will take a decision this week.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA