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.
