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With tenders to be floated within fortnight, Mohali steps closer to mechanical sweeping
With a shortage of manpower, Mohali MC had been facing a major challenge to keep the roads clean and garbage free with manual sweeping since then
The city municipal corporation (MC) is finally set to float tenders for mechanical sweeping within the next 15 days.
Officials said the tender for mechanical and manual sweeping expired on June 14, 2021, following which the civic body passed a resolution of getting the sweeping of the A and B category roads (main roads) done through mechanical sweeping.
With a shortage of manpower, MC authorities had been facing a major challenge to keep the roads clean and garbage free with manual sweeping since then.
Speaking of the impending additions, a senior MC official said, “We are going to purchase four mechanical sweeping machines almost at the cost of around ₹10 crores which will be funded by Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). Tenders for the same will also be floated for the same. Moreover, we are also floating tenders for maintenance and operations for the mechanical sweeping.”
Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu, meanwhile, said the process for purchase of the sweeping machines is in its final stage, adding, “We are aiming to purchase machines within four months. Though we are trying our best to keep the city clean but in absence of mechanical sweeping, the beauty of the city is getting majorly affected.”
“After approval of the concerned authorities on April 7, 2022, to float tenders for mechanical sweeping, tenders were recalled twice but the process got stuck due to technical reasons,” Sidhu added.
The mayor said the department of local government director had on June 26, 2022, given the go-ahead with the process under Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Rule, 2022, but tenders in this regard were not floated.
Notably, Mohali fared badly in the 2022 national cleanliness survey, slipping 32 notches from 81 in 2021 to 113 from 382 cities in the 1-10 lakh category.
On being asked about the delay in floating the tenders, a senior MC official not wishing to be named said, “The civic body is striving for funds and GMADA initially didn’t release funds until directed by Punjab urban development minister Aman Arora. We don’t have ample manpower to clean the city and there is already a financial crisis to pay salaries or to deploy more men.”
Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi however stated that earlier only A roads were cleaned through mechanical sweepings but now B roads would also be cleaned through sweeping machines.
UT pollution control panel sanctions ₹1.72cr for street sweeping machine, anti-smog guns
The funds were sanctioned under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) of the Government of India.
In December last year, the CPCC had released funds of ₹1.72 crore to the civic body with it being one of the major stakeholders to achieve desirable air quality.
The same amount has again been sanctioned for the mechanical street sweeping machine — which is powered by motor and has suction cups and uses a hose to move dirt and debris — and anti-smog guns — that spews fine water droplets through high-pressure propellers in air, making a canopy effect and helping particles from air get increased in mass and settled by inertia. The equipment will help reduce particulate matter in the atmosphere.
The NCAP was launched on January 10, 2019, to address air pollution in 122 cities called non-attainment cities. It aims to achieve a tentative national-level target of 20-30% reduction of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentration by 2024.
