GHMC’s health & sanitation department has decided to decentralise its problematic transport wing and distribute vehicles along with related fuel and maintenance issues to all18 circle offices.
This, senior officials hope, will bring about some order by reducing expenditure and arrest the rampant diesel pilferage.
The municipal corporation owns close to 700 vehicles of different kinds for transporting officials and garbage. These vehicles have been functioning from the three parking yards- Khairatabad, Kavadiguda and Malakpet, which are also equipped with fuel-filling stations.
Until now, vehicles irrespective of which areas they were moving in, had to return to either of the three parking yards to get gas filled. In the last few years, a few scams like the abnormal rise in vehicles’ maintenance bills and siphoning of diesel surfaced.
Senior officials, having realised that the three vehicle yards had become impregnable dens, thought it fit to break the stranglehold by dispersing vehicles and drivers into the five zones and thereby the circles.
In the last few days, parking sites were identified in different circles. If sufficient space was not available within the municipal offices, nearby sites like the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) office space, Ziaguda slaughterhouse, empty space opposite the Sanjeevaiah Park and the like were taken.
Once GHMC Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu signs the final orders, the Deputy Commissioner, assistant medical officials and sanitary supervisor concerned under the overall control of the Zonal Commissioner would issue fuel coupons, see to the daily allotment of vehicles, procurement of lubricants, on road & off road condition of vehicles, etc.
Salaries and bills too will be disbursed at the zone level. Nine private fuel-filling stations have been contracted for supplying diesel in different circles .
Old parking stations like Malakpet will be catering only to vehicles of circles four & eight (Charminar & Gunfoundry), Kavadiguda for vehicles of circle nine (Himayatnagar) and Khairatabad for vehicles moving in the area of circle 10.
“We are looking at better monitoring of vehicles and staff, avoiding unnecessary trips for fuel-filling and also keeping a check on pilferage,” explained Additional Commissioner (H&S) L. Vandan Kumar.
