Civic body starts process to buy 4 mechanical sweeping machines

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 12

The Municipal Corporation (MC) is going to purchase four mechanical sweeping machines for the cleaning of major city roads. One machine will be deployed at each of the four zones of the MC, Ludhiana.

The civic body has invited online expression of interest (EoI) for the supply, operation, and maintenance of the four road mechanical sweeping machines from interested firms. Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu and MC Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal have given instructions to the officials concerned regarding the purchase of the machines.

Notably, the corporation had earlier started the mechanical sweeping on major city roads about five years ago but later, the service was stopped. The civic body had signed an agreement with a private firm to conduct mechanical sweeping, which was started in 2016. At that time, the MC was paying Rs 97,000 per km per month to the company for cleaning roads.

After the Congress formed government in the state, questions were raised over the mechanical sweeping project in the city. In a House meeting in 2017, some Congress leaders had suggested the MC House to purchase its own vehicles for mechanical sweeping instead of paying a huge amount to a private firm for conducting mechanical sweeping. Sources said there was no check on the working of the firm.

After the MC’s sixth House formed in 2018, Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu had then announced to end the agreement with the firm. After terminating the firm’s services, manual sweeping was resumed on the major city roads again.

A few MC sweepers have also met with mishaps while working on major roads. In 2020, a contractual sanitation worker, Ashok Kumar, had met with a mishap when he was cleaning the central verge area on the Sherpur Chowk-Dholewal Chowk road. Ashok’s both legs had fractured in the mishap.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said, “It is difficult for safai karamcharis to work on busy roads as chances of mishaps remain high there. Now, we have started the process to purchase four machines for mechanical sweeping. Mechanical sweeping will be done on all major roads in all the four zones of the city.”

MC to buy anti-smog guns

To control air pollution, the Municipal Corporation has also invited expression of interests for purchasing two types of anti-smog guns and installation of a CNG-based crematorium in the city. EoI technical bids will be opened on May 21.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.