Now, they come battery-operated

K.K. Nagar’s garbage woes will reduce extensively, according to Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar.

On Tuesday, he flagged off three battery-operated waste collection vehicles at Malligai Housing Board in a bid to increase efficiency of collecting waste.

The three battery-operated tricycles, costing a total of ₹6.75 lakh, will be used in Ward 44 (K.K. Nagar) to speed up door-to-door collection.

The tricycles, which have two segregated compartments for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, will be deployed in other parts of Zone 2. The vehicles will also have a covered shed, thus providing relief to sanitary workers during the summer months.

The Commissioner thanked Union Bank of India for the donation as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative.

“Earlier, sanitary workers could only collect waste in 150 households. With the advent of these vehicles, workers can triple their collection and visit about 400 households in a day. This will help streamlining and modernising waste collection in Madurai,” he said.

Dr. Sekhar added that more such vehicles would be introduced under the smart city initiative in the area-based development zones of the Corporation. A total of 50 vehicles would be deployed in the zone within the next three months.

During the event, the Commissioner also identified an empty plot of land for composting biodegradable waste at Malligai housing board and urged residents to make use of the compost. The process would be a step closer to self-sustenance.

Regional Head of Union Bank of India Srinivas Vangala and Senior Manager (Marketing) D. Srinivasan said the bank would continue to support the City Corporation in the Smart City Mission. They had also allocated ₹2 lakh for a community toilet in Jaihindpuram.