Ten garbage collection vehicles lie unused for years at Ghodbunder depot in Mira-Bhayandar

All ten garbage collection vehicles (ghantagadis) bought for waste collection by the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation have been found standing unused for years at the Ghodbunder bus depot. At this depot of the corporation's transport undertaking, the vehicles are covered in dust. Without regular use, their condition appears to be worsening.

Markings on the vehicles say they were bought from the special fund of Transport Minister and MLA Pratap Sarnaik. Vehicles are bought at great expense to strengthen the city's waste collection system. But if they lie in the depot instead of running on the roads, the question being raised is what the purpose of that spending was.

Rainwater is seen collected at the rear of the vehicles, where the garbage is loaded. It has been claimed that the iron parts have begun to rust after the water stood for a long time. If the vehicles are not used and maintained regularly, their mechanical and outer parts could be damaged. Citizens are now asking who is ultimately responsible when vehicles bought with public money are deteriorating from disuse.

Another serious aspect of the matter is registration. It has been claimed that these vehicles have not been registered so far. The question being raised is when they will officially take to the roads if registration is incomplete. The municipal administration should give clear information on what is stuck in the process of purchase, registration, insurance, fitness and actual use.

Waste collection and transport is an important issue in the daily lives of people in Mira-Bhayandar. Regular garbage pickup is being demanded from many areas, while the vehicles bought to carry the waste lie unused. Since the corporation has spent money on these vehicles, it is the administration's responsibility to use them with proper planning and maintain them well. There is a risk that standing in the depot for years will shorten their life.

People want to know in which year the vehicles were bought, how much was spent on them, how much came from the special fund, why they were not registered, what process remains before they can be put into service, and how they were maintained all this time. Answers to these questions are expected from the municipal administration. Since the vehicles carry a mention of purchase from a special fund, a demand for transparency in the purchase may also arise.

On one hand it is said that the city needs new vehicles for waste management, while on the other the existing vehicles are gathering dust in the depot. Citizens are therefore asking when exactly these vehicles will come into service, when their registration will be completed, and who is responsible for the damage done so far.

It is hoped that the municipal administration will put forward concrete information on the whole matter and clarify the expenditure from purchase to date, the current status of registration and the plan for actual use. Otherwise, the worry is that vehicles bought with citizens' money will deteriorate from disuse and eventually end up as scrap.