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Civic body plans to rope in e-rickshaws to collect waste

“The plan is that after the sanitation workers collect garbage from households in pushcart vehicles, these electric autorickshaws would pick up the garbage from the neighbourhood dump bins at various points and transfer it to the treatment plant,” said an official. Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has sent a proposal to the state government to procure electric autorickshaw for garbage collection within city limits.
The move is aimed at lowering recurring maintenance costs while implementing an eco-friendly waste disposal mechanism.

GVMC commissioner G Srijana said the civic body had made a proposal to purchase 125 electric autorickshaws.

“Presently, a fleet of diesel vehicles hired by the GVMC collects garbage. If the state government gives its nod to our proposal then electric autorickshaws would replace diesel vehicles,” said Srijana.

Though it is mandatory for electric vehicles to meet certain requirements, GVMC officials are of the opinion that these vehicles are easier to maintain.

“The Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APEPDCL) has e-charging points for electric vehicles. APSRTC is all set to run electric buses soon and they would also set up e-charging stations. We are hoping that our proposal will be approved by the government,” said a GVMC official.

Besides reducing pollution, electric autorickshaws would reduce recurring costs of the civic body. A senior official claimed that expenditure on electric vehicles would work out to less than 50 paise per kilometer. Presently, the GVMC hires diesel vehicles at Rs 3 per km.

However, this is not the first time that the GVMC has sent such a proposal.

Last year, former GVMC commissioner M Hari Narayanan sent a proposal to the state government to purchase electric vehicles for the civic body. The plan did not materialise due to approaching general and state elections.

Presently, Visakhapatnam generates around 1,100 metric tonnes of waste everyday.

“The plan is that after the sanitation workers collect garbage from households in pushcart vehicles, these electric autorickshaws would pick up the garbage from the neighbourhood dump bins at various points and transfer it to the treatment plant,” said an official.

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