The Hindu              13.08.2013

25 new vehicles commissioned

With the induction of 25 small modified goods carriers
to collect waste, the Coimbatore Corporation has taken one more step in
phasing out bullock carts.

On Saturday, Mayor S.M. Velusamy flagged off the vehicles.

Mr.
Velusamy said that the Corporation had bought the vehicles at Rs. 2.02
crore based on a resolution passed more than an year ago. It had engaged
drivers on contract to take the vehicles to lanes and by-lanes for
door-to-door collection of waste.

Each of the
vehicles comes with a capacity to carry 0.5 tonne – 0.6 tonne waste. The
drivers after collecting the waste proceed to the nearest transit
station to empty the containers and return for the next trip. The
practice prior to the induction of the vehicles was to collect the
garbage on bullock carts or push carts, dump the same in roadside bins,
carry the waste from there on lorries to the transit stations.

Corporation
sources said that the use of the small vehicles would save time and
also eliminate the need for lorries, to a certain extent. The
Corporation had on August 12 given orders to stop the operation of the
15 lorries that were on contract to carry waste.

In
the days to come, the Corporation will phase out a few more bullock
carts. It had already phased out 12 of the 60 bullock carts as the bulls
were aged. The Corporation mainly used the carts to collect waste in
the northern part of the city.

The Corporation would use five vehicles a zone in the five zones.

The
Corporation had also said that the vehicles would be under the control
of the zonal assistant commissioners and that the fuel and maintenance
expenditure would be met from the zonal funds.