GHMC drivers join RTC duty to earn more money

ABOUT 50 PER CENT of the drivers have evaded duty the past three days. It’s believed that drivers are lured by the RTC’s daily wages. As a result, piles of garbage have piled up at all transfer stations.

The TSRTC strike has been tough on the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Drivers in its transportation wing were reluctant to attend duty as they prefer moonlighting at for private buses under RTC, which pay `2,000 per eight-hour day. This dwarfs wages at the civic body. As a result, garbage pick-up from transfer stations has suffered the past three days.

About 5,280 metric tonne (MT) of garbage is generated daily in the city. Of this, 2,510 MT is wet waste, 1952 MT is dry waste and the remaining

820 MT is other waste. The GHMC uses nearly 500 trucks, 2,500 Swachh autotrolleys and over 18,000 workers for the collection and disposal of waste in its

30 circles.

In recent years, 176 vehicles were declared unfit and auctioned. The GHMC uses 234 hired 25-MT capacity garbage vehicles to shift garbage to the Jawaharnagar dumping yard.

Highly-placed sources say about 50 per cent of the drivers have evaded duty the past three days. Private agencies which maintain hired vehicles told civic body officials that drivers who visited their villages for Dasara never returned for duty. It’s believed that drivers are lured by the RTC’s daily wages. As a result, piles of garbage have piled up at all transfer stations. Even GHMC commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar noticed this at Imliban transfer station during a surprise inspection on Saturday. He asked officials to clear it immediately.

However, matters were worse on Sunday as the transfer station was filled with garbage because the

2,500 Swachh auto-trolleys did not pick up from households. Private agencies were paying `800 to

`1,000 as daily wages, for

12 hours. The RTC, on the other hand, is paying

`1,500 to `2,000. When contacted, Viswajit Kampati, additional commissioner (transportation), said the GHMC would ensure the clearing of garbage as a priority since it would impact city sanitation.