The Hindu                      04.04.2013 

More vehicles to tackle waste

The Chennai Corporation will soon get Rs. 10 crore for procuring compactors and bins to clear garbage in the city’s added zones.

Municipal administration minister K.P. Munusamy, who announced this on Tuesday in the Assembly, said the expanded areas alone generated 500 tonnes of garbage and additional equipment was necessary to clear this.

The Corporation will procure 50 compactors with a capacity of six tonnes each and 750 compactor bins with a capacity of 1,100 litres each.

At present, 320 compactors, 37 haulage tipper trucks and 177 tipper lorries are deployed across the city to collect and dispose nearly 4,700 metric tonnes of waste every day. A total of 17,026 conservancy workers, both direct and contract labourers, are deployed to carry out operations.

Once the additional vehicles are procured, the civic body would be able to collect 5,200 tonnes of waste, including those in added areas.

According to sources, the requirement for equipment and bins was assessed recently. “There was a shortfall of compactors and bins and so they are being procured now. Meanwhile, to keep the roads and bins clean we have taken vehicles and manpower on contract wherever necessary,” said a source.

The assessment was done ward-wise and zone-wise and a decision had been taken to have a 20 per cent surplus of manpower as well as vehicles since there has always been a shortfall of 20 per cent due to absenteeism and maintenance of vehicles. “In the past there has not been a thorough assessment of men and vehicles for clearing garbage. But now we have ward-wise requirements,” the source explained.