SALIGAO: Waste collection in Mapusa has been largely hampered as five garbage trucks of the municipality are in disrepair due to lack of maintenance.
The Mapusa municipality had procured nearly 12 trucks for garbage collection, of which five vehicles, including a compactor, three rickshaws and a tempo are lying unutilised for various reasons.
The municipality had purchased the three rickshaws and tempo two years ago, and these have been out of order for over a month. The waste compactor has also been shut down for the past five days for want of maintenance. All the five faulty vehicles have been sent to the garage for repairs, and this has affected the waste collection service. Municipal workers have expressed fears that if the seven vehicles currently in operation fail in the same manner, the waste disposal system will come to a standstill during Chaturthi festival.
Speaking to TOI, Sudesh Tivrekar, a resident and member of the Mapusa People’s Union, said that the municipality is collecting garbage tax from citizens, but has failed to put a proper waste collection mechanism in place.
Municipality chairperson Shubangi Vaigankar said that garbage trucks were getting damaged due to overloading of waste. She said that the government has provided a new garbage truck to the municipality and the registration process is underway, after which the vehicle will be put into service.
