Hyderabad: Biometrics for swachh drivers attendance

Hyderabad: The GHMC has decided to purchase biometric attendance machines to ensure that Swachh auto drivers turn up every day to clear the garbage. The data will be directly monitored by senior GHMC officials. This follows complaints of irregular visits of Swachh tippers to collect garbage.

According to a GHMC official, after exploring several options including social audit, where sanitation staff have to collect signatures from households after collecting garbage, the civic body finally decided to rely on technology. It will select an area in the city to run a pilot project.

Sanitary jawans and field assistants should ensure daily attendance of the Swachh drivers. They will use handheld biometric attendance machines initially. Based on the results, the machines will be purchased. The corporation will involve corporates in the project.

The GHMC official said that the pilot project would also help the civic body understand the reasons for dumping of garbage in the locality. 

Based on the results, the corporation would deploy additional Swachh tippers or ask drivers to make multiple trips.

The official said the corporation would give powers to sanitary jawans to penalise persons who dump garbage on the roadsides. 

The official further said the amount will be based on the quantity of the garbage dumped. 

The penal amounts would be collected online or added to the property tax bill.