₹30-crore sweeping machine runs without supervision

FROM THE PAST 20 DAYS, NO SANITARY INSPECTOR HAS BEEN PUT ON DUTY TO MONITOR THE WORK

JALANDHAR: The claims of municipal corporation Jalandhar (MCJ) to bring transparency and upgrade cleanliness mechanism has fallen flat with the officials paying no heed to the cleanliness work being carried out by the sweeping machines across city.

Sources in the civic body said from the past 20 days, no sanitary inspector of the health department has been put on duty to monitor the work of sweeping machines. After Rajesh Sharma, a sanitary inspector who was earlier a supervisor, was transferred to Ludhiana, no official has been assigned the duty.

The MC has outsourced a Delhi-based company to carry out sweeping machine project for the next five years, starting from November last year, at the cost of ₹30 -crore. “Road cleaning work is being done by sweeping machine at night, and is being watched through GPS device. The day’s work, which consists of manual garbage-lifting, is checked by the designated sanitary inspector,” said an official, requesting anonymity.

There has been no check as to whether the roads are being cleaned by the company or not.

Sources said that there is no coordination between the outsourced company and MC’s safai workers, thus causing doubling of work.