Hyderabad: GHMC will phase out 279 vehicles, mainly garbage trucks that are more than 15 years old.
The National Green Tribunal had passed an order stating that these vehicles emitted harmful carbon monoxide and should be taken off the road. But the municipal body had continued to operate them. The GHMC will now replace these vehicles.
As per the Motor Vehicle Act of 1950, any vehicle beyond 15 years is not considered to be roadworthy.
Even the court of Lokayukta and a number of vigilance reports have pointed out the same since the cost of maintenance of such old vehicles is also very high and it is important to phase them out.
The state General Administrative department has issued instructions to condemn all vehicles that are more than 15 years old.
GHMC commissioner Dr B. Janardhan Reddy said, “After verification, 279 vehicles will be condemned in three phases.The GHMC transport wing owns over 773 vehicles used by the sanitation department. In the first phase 43 vehicles will be identified and removed. Of these 25 are old jeeps and cars, eight are Krishis, four tillers, four tractors and two lifting machines. As per the rules, auctions will be carried out for condemning the 46 vehicles through the government approved agency, Metal Scrap Trading Corporation.”
In order to ensure smooth operation for various sanitation works, GHMC will hire lifting machines for a period of one year.
Menace of civic garbage points
The 100-day GHMC action plan includes removal of vulnerable garbage points in the twin cities, but in Sundernagar Colony in Erragadda, the foundation stone site has turned into a garbage dumping yard.
The action plan wanted to remove all the 1,116 vulnerable garbage points.
Minister T. Srinivas Yadav had laid the foundation stone last year for the construction of a wall. The project got delayed and the place turned into a garbage dump.
Erragadda resident Gouse Pasha said that the GHMC dumps garbage on site along the main road of Sundernagar Colony opposite Rythu Bazaar. “This is a common collection point, and many rag-pickers segregate the waste here,” he said.
The GHMC owns the land. Lack of a compound wall encourages dumping.
“People waiting for buses stand away due to the foul smell," he added.
Another major issue is non-collection of garbage from houses. A resident of Tekri Colony, Tolichowki, “GHMC contract workers collects garbage here and we pay them Rs 70 to Rs 100 per house. But the garbage is not collected by the GHMC. The workers come six to eight times a month and still they do not collect garbage from all houses.”
