Tenders floated to buy 4 sweeping machines

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, March 31

The Municipal Corporation (MC) has floated fresh tenders to purchase four mechanical sweeping machines for cleaning the major roads in the city. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 4.54 crore.

Not the first time

• In 2021, the MC had invited online expression of interest from companies for the supply, operation, and maintenance of four road mechanical sweeping machines, but was unsuccessful in purchasing them.
• Due to the absence of the mechanical sweeping machines, safai karamcharis perform manual work on busy roads. In 2020, a safai karamchari’s legs got fractured in a road mishap.

In 2021, the MC had invited online expression of interest (EoI) from companies for the supply, operation, and maintenance of four road mechanical sweeping machines, but was unsuccessful in purchasing them. An official of the MC has now confirmed that the new tenders are for the design, fabrication, supply, commissioning, testing, and handing over of four truck-mounted road sweeping machines with operation and maintenance for three years. Bids are scheduled to be opened on April 25, 2023 as per the information.

It is worth noting that the MC had previously launched mechanical sweeping of city roads in 2016 after signing an agreement with a private firm during the regime of the SAD-BJP government. The civic body used to pay around Rs 97,000 per km per month to the company for cleaning roads. However, some Congress leaders raised questions over the project after the Congress formed the government in the state in 2017, and Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu later announced the end of the agreement with the firm in 2018. Thereafter, manual sweeping was resumed on the major roads.

Due to the absence of the mechanical sweeping machines, safai karamcharis perform manual work on busy roads. In 2020, a safai karamchari’s legs got fractured in a road mishap.