No number plates on mini trucks carrying garbage in city

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 15

A majority of trucks, engaged by a private concern, hired by the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC), to lift garbage under the solid waste management plant (SWMP), are plying on city roads without registration number plates.

The Punjab Sudhar Sabha president, Balram Kumar Sharma, said, it was a flagrant violation of traffic norms. “Neither the transport office nor the MC have show maturity to correct the anomaly.”

He said a speeding garbage lifting truck with green and white colour injured a passerby on a narrow lane of the Batala road. On questioning, it was found that the vehicle did not have any number plate. He said as the accident was minor the area residents let off the driver and vehicle.

These vehicles could not be allowed on city roads without number plates as it was a flagrant violation of traffic laws, he added.

Although months have passed after the launch of solid waste management project, the private firm engaged by the MC has failed to get its vehicles registered with the local transport office.

Under the project the company has to distribute two dustbins each to two lakh residential complexes in which dry and wet garbage is to be collected separately. In the first phase of the project the firm had to distribute dustbins in 14 wards of the city.

The company was deputed to lift garbage through door-to-door collection from the 52 wards. The city has been divided into two parts. The walled city will be looked after by the MC. The responsibility of garbage collection from rest of the city lies on the private firm engaged by the civic body.

Besides, the private concern will set up the SWMP on the 25-acre Bhagtanwala garbage dump, which has been leased for 25 years to the firm. The plant will process garbage, produce power and manufacture manure.

Presently, the garbage is being collected door-to-door and with the help of 234 hoopers on roadside, which take it to the secondary collection point. From secondary collection point garbage goes to the dump with the help of 48 compactors and six dumpers.

Dr Ajay Kanwar, district health officer, said notice was served to the private concern to display registration number on its vehicles. He added that half of the 235 vehicles had got the number and the rest of them would soon be registered at the transport office.