Pune: MLAs have given funds for purchase of 13 e-rickshaws for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). This was approved by the Standing Committee last week, despite the municipal commissioner’s earlier order against purchase of small vehicles for collection of garbage in the city. Now, opposition party corporators have alleged double standards on the part of the BJP. 

The money for the e-rickshaws would come from MLA funds of Dilip Kamble and Vijay Kale. 

Bhaiyasaheb Jadhav, NCP corporator said, “In 2013, Solid Waste Management Department gave negative opinion about purchase of small tempos for garbage collection or transportation. The department said the cost of e-rickshaws is less but operating cost is high. The capacity of tempo is 175 kg garbage. So, the Standing Committee decided in future there should not be purchase of small vehicles for garbage collection.”

He said, “Now the BJP has decided to purchase small e-rickshaws for collecting garbage. It is against the corporation policy and nothing but wastage of public money.”

“The BJP is not allowing us to purchase tempos but, they are purchasing e-rickshaws from MLA funds.   The committee should have allowed us to use our ward funds to purchase e-rickshaws for garbage collection as our funds have lapsed due to corporation’s earlier decision,” he added.

The PMC’s vehicle depot has 40 tempos for garbage transportation. The depot doesn’t have technical staff, equipment and spare parts. So, they have to send vehicles to the company. This takes time and there is no alternative during the repair period. Home-to-home collection of garbage is expensive.  

Kishor Pol, Superintendent of Vehicle Depot of the PMC said, “Though capacity of e-rickshaws is less, there is no maintenance. It is battery operated and any one can drive it.”