2 days ago
Siliguri Rolls Out 12 Vehicles to Improve Waste Collection
Siliguri has started using 12 new machines to help with city work.
They include four dumpers and eight excavators.
They will help collect and move rubbish, and do other civic jobs.
The vehicles were introduced by Shankar Ghosh, a minister and local elected representative.
The money to buy them came with help from a state government department.
One report gives the cost as ₹4.42 crore, while another says about ₹4.40 crore.
City officials expect more rubbish and activity during the festive season and Durga Puja.
The rollout follows complaints about garbage and a strike by casual sanitation workers that has since ended.
Siliguri Municipal Corporation introduced 12 vehicles: four dumpers or trucks and eight excavators or earthmovers.
The vehicles are intended to support garbage collection, transport and disposal, as well as other civic work.
State Tourism Minister and Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh flagged off the vehicles at Baghajatin Park.
The reported procurement cost differs slightly: one article says ₹4.42 crore, while another says about ₹4.40 crore.
The rollout comes before the festive season and Durga Puja, amid reports of service problems and a recent strike by around 2,000 casual sanitation workers.
- Who
- Siliguri Municipal Corporation; Shankar Ghosh introduced or flagged off the vehicles.
- What
- Twelve vehicles—four dumpers or trucks and eight excavators or earthmovers—were put into service for waste handling and other civic work.
- Where
- Siliguri, including its 47 civic wards; the vehicles were introduced at Baghajatin Park.
- When
- Wednesday, ahead of the festive season and Durga Puja; no calendar date is stated.
- Why
- To improve waste collection and disposal and support civic services, especially before a period when activity and waste are expected to increase.
Stated civic-service purpose
Political interpretation
Reason for the rollout
Stated civic-service purpose
Shankar Ghosh described improved cleanliness and basic civic services as priorities, and said the vehicles would help manage waste, particularly ahead of Durga Puja.
Political interpretation
A political observer said the rollout was also being viewed as an effort to improve cleanliness and services ahead of the forthcoming Siliguri Municipal Corporation election.
Key facts
- Vehicles
- 12 total: four dumpers or dump trucks and eight excavators or earthmovers
- Reported procurement cost
- ₹4.42 crore in one report; about ₹4.40 crore in another
- Funding assistance
- State government’s Urban and Municipal Affairs Department; one article calls it the urban development and municipal affairs department
- Vehicle features
- GPS-enabled, according to Shankar Ghosh
- Coverage
- All 47 wards of Siliguri’s civic area
- Waste volume
- Civic body sources said the conservancy department collects around four metric tonnes of waste daily
- Recent labor action
- Around 2,000 casual workers involved in garbage cleaning and dumping went on strike; the strike was withdrawn
Quotes
Shankar Ghosh
Siliguri MLA and Tourism Minister
“Due to various reasons, residents of Siliguri were deprived of these basic services in the past. The current civic authority introduced these trucks and earthmovers, which have been bought for ₹4.42 crore. The vehicles have been provided with financial assistance from the state urban development and municipal affairs department to ensure proper collection and disposal of waste across the civic area.”
telegraphindia.com
“The vehicles are GPS-enabled, allowing their movement to be monitored centrally by the civic body, to help ensure that garbage collection and disposal are carried out more systematically.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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