MCC to purchase vehicles on its own for collection and transportation of solid waste from doorsteps

Collection and transportation of garbage to be handed over to different contractors by diving the 60 wards into four zones

Council members of the Opposition in Mangaluru City Corporation speaking at council meeting of MCC in Mangaluru on Tuesday, January 31. | Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

There will be a change in the way of awarding contract to collect and transport the solid waste generated in the city, with the Mangaluru City Corporation council in its meeting on Tuesday, January 31, deciding to seek the technical and administrative approval from the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada to the cost estimation made to implement the change.

Presently, one contractor collected and transported the solid waste generated in all the 60 wards in the city by deploying human resource and vehicles required on own.

As per the change, the corporation will purchase (own) vehicles and associated equipment required for collecting and transporting solid waste from doorsteps at an estimated cost ₹27.15 crore. But, their operation with the human resource required (such as drivers, garbage loaders, helpers and supervisors) and maintenance will be outsourced by dividing the 60 wards into four zones. The total operation and maintenance has been estimated at ₹17.24 crore per annum.

The corporation will not allot the operation and maintenance of four zones to a single contractor. Instead there will be either four contractors as one per each zone, or two contractors to handle two zones each, or three contractors.

An agenda tabled on the matter in the council said that the State government has already approved the detailed project report (DPR) prepared by the civic body by incorporating the changes. Now the corporation will seek the Deputy Commissioner’s technical and administrative sanction for the total ₹44.39 crore proposal (₹27.15 crore plus ₹17.24 crore).

In this, ₹27.15 crore will be one time investment for purchasing vehicles and related equipment which include push carts, battery operated tricycle, jeep tippers, tippers, compactors, backhoe loaders, sound system, GPS and speed controller. However, the Operation and Maintenance cost might escalate in the coming years.

Of the ₹27.15 crore required for the purchase of vehicles and equipment, 35% (₹9.50 crore) will be borne from the Union government under Swachh Bharat Mission grants and 23.33% (₹6.33 crore) will be shared by the State government under the Swachh Bharat Mission grants. The balance 41.67% (₹11.31 crore) will be borne by the corporation from its funds.

The Opposition Congress in the council severely objected for the move to purchase the vehicles by the civic body. Its councillors said that the corporation will not be able to bear the maintenance cost of the vehicles in the future.