Garbage lifting stalled in city as compactor vehicles lying defunct

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, August 27

More than 10 refuse compactor vehicles of the solid waste management company are lying defunct. This has affected lifting of door-to-door garbage in the city. In the absence of required number of refuse compactor vehicles, the solid waste management firm is unable to dump garbage at Bhagtanwala dumping ground.

According to information, only 10 compactor vehicles of the company are now functional. Due to this, garbage is not lifted from 65 small and 20 large bins regularly.

In a make shift arrangement, the garbage is being dumped at Gumanpura workshop and a secondary point on the Jhabaal road instead of Bhagtanwala dumping ground.

Though the garbage from Gumanpura workshop has been lifted during the past few days but more than 800 tonnes of waste is still lying at the secondary point on the Jhabaal road. With the coming up of new dumping grounds, residents of the areas have started complaining about stink and fear outbreak of diseases.

Small vehicles do not visit homes for regular door-to-door garbage collection. The residents have complained that workers of the firm do not lift garbage from their localities twice a week.

Out of 270 small vehicles, more than 50 are not functional.When contacted, company officials said, “We have paid for four new compactors this year. These vehicles will be delivered in September. We will start repairing defunct compactors by mid-September. However, we have invested in construction and demolition waste (C&T) equipment in anticipation of increase in tipping fee by the municipal corporation.”

The officials claimed that the MC was not increasing their tipping fee which had financially burdened the company. “The garbage from Gumanpura workshop has been completely removed,” said a worker of the waste management firm.