PUNE
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will buy 10 electric four-wheelers to transport daily generated garbage out of the city limits. The standing committee, chaired by interim administrator PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar, recently approved a tender for the purchase of electric vehicles costing ₹1.74 crore.
Automatic Business Solutions Private Limited, Hyderabad, has been awarded the contract to replenish the existing fleet with 10 electric vans.
The PMC had received funds for buying electric vehicles under the 15th Finance Commission. The civic body invited bidders to submit bids for the tender, and the administration got two tender applications, one of which was chosen as it bid the lowest amount.
The PMC will purchase ten automobiles for ₹17.27 lakh apiece, which includes GST cess, shipping costs, and RTO fees.
The proposal for electric vehicles for garbage collection was proposed by Additional Commissioner Ravindra Binawade and approved by the standing committee.
Pune generates 2200 metric tonnes of waste each day, which is disposed of by 698 PMC-owned and operated trucks. Furthermore, the PMC has rented 150 trucks to meet the demand on the ground. Some of the vehicles had been rented out for nearly seven years.
Add Commissioner Binawade said “The EVs will help us to cut expenses on fuel and is an environmentally friendly vehicle. We expect that EVs will bring about a transformation of the entire garbage collection and disposal process in the days to come.”
{{/usCountry}}Add Commissioner Binawade said “The EVs will help us to cut expenses on fuel and is an environmentally friendly vehicle. We expect that EVs will bring about a transformation of the entire garbage collection and disposal process in the days to come.”
{{/usCountry}}Earlier the PMC had conducted a trial run of using four electric vehicles for garbage collection in the city. Although the EVs did not meet PMC’s expectations, a report was given to the manufacturers to improve the design and performance of the vehicles.
Following the car manufacturers’ response to PMC’s recommendations, additional trials were conducted.
Apart from the garbage collection vehicles, the civic body has accepted a proposal to lease 38 electric vehicles to begin the process of electrifying the PMC fleet.
The civic body will hire these cars for the day-to-day use of its staff and office-bearers.
This is also in line with the Maharashtra State EV policy which recommends that all vehicles leased for the government’s official purpose shall be electric vehicles starting in 2024.