Assam: Guwahati Municipal Corporation Halts Electric Vehicle Deployment for Garbage Collection

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has put on hold the deployment of 60 electric vehicles intended for door-to-door garbage collection due to discrepancies in the vehicles’ specifications.

GMC officials said, “The work has been given to Isha Fab Engineerings Private Limited; they had provided the vehicles according to the tender that was floated in the month of October last year. In the tender copy, it was mentioned that the Isha Fab Engineerings Private Limited were found to have galvanized iron (GI) sheets with a thickness of 1.5 mm, contrary to the tender requirement of 2.00 mm.

A GMC official expressed disappointment, stating that the corporation had paid over Rs 7 crore for the vehicles, which included expenses for maintenance, servicing, and the establishment of five charging stations. The vehicles were supposed to be deployed immediately for garbage collection in all 60 wards.

The GMC mayor-in-council, headed by Deputy Mayor Smita Roy, has taken up the matter and plans to hold the company responsible for the mistake. The committee intends to charge the company a fine for the discrepancy.

The halt in deployment has raised concerns about the city’s waste management, which was expected to improve with the introduction of these electric vehicles. The GMC assures citizens that alternative arrangements will be made to ensure uninterrupted garbage collection services.

Previously the garbage collection process was disorganized with different groups overseeing various wards. Ward development committees led by ward councillors managed eight wards while 25 wards were assigned to new NGOs and 26 wards continued with their existing NGO operators. Despite these efforts the overall efficiency of the system remained low with ward number 48 being the only one recognized as a model ward.

Also read: Persistent garbage problem in areas of Guwahati city (sentinelassam.com)

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