Indian Express 30.09.2009
Mayor recommends Vigilance inquiry into purchase, functioning of sweeping machines
It seems the Municipal Corporation has finally realised that there is something amiss in the functioning of the three mechanised road sweeping machines bought from Italy at a cost of Rs 5 crore last year. At a House Meet held on Tuesday, Mayor Kamlesh recommended that the Vigilance Bureau conduct an inquiry into the purchase and operational anomalies of the machines.
On Tuesday, when the House was asked its opinion on who should be given the contract for the machines’ maintenance, several councillors raised doubts over the utility of the machines. “When the machines are not working efficiently, the question of their maintenance does not arise,” said a councillor.
Detailing the amount incurred on the upkeep of the three machines, Medical Officer of Health Dr G Dewan said after the initial outlay of Rs 5 crore, Rs 8 lakh was spent on purchasing the central and side brooms. Each vehicle used diesel worth Rs 4.70 lakh. The salary of the driver and helper is separate.
Evidently, the machines have not been of much help in reducing manpower either as they can clear dust off the roads only. For cleaning the pavements, sweepers are required. Councillor Jatinder Bhatia said Rs 9 crore was spent on the purchase and upkeep of the three machines last year. “If the civic body had employed 500 additional sweepers and paid them Rs 4000 each, the expenditure would have amounted to just Rs 2.4 crore and scores of people would have received employment. The machines are not working efficiently and should be returned to the company,” he said.
Councillor Chander Mukhi Sharma voiced a similar opinion. “The cost of maintaining the machines is bound to increase every year. When the machines were bought, no one bothered to inform the House about the manpower saved, recurring costs or the terms and conditions of maintenance. Now also, no one is willing to talk about the performance of the machines,” he said.
Questions were also raised about the motive behind the trip to Italy, wherein the MC officials ostensibly went to inspect the machines. Councillor Dr A P Sanwaria said: “Similar machines were available in Delhi but still the officials planned a jaunt to Italy. Moreover, the officials misguided the House about the utility of the machines. They had stated that the machines would pick up stones and leaves while they do neither.”
