A road sweeping machine purchased by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in 2010 has landed the local body in trouble with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The Report of the CAG on Waste Management in Urban Local Bodies tabled in the State Assembly on Thursday observed that the ‘laxity’ on the Corporation’s part led to the machine rusting in the Corporation garage since 2013.
The CAG pulled up the Corporation for ‘infructuous expenditure’ of ₹73.50 lakh. Responsibility needs to be fixed for the lapse, the CAG report noted.
The Corporation had purchased the road sweeping machine in 2010 from Roots Multiclean Company Ltd, Coimbatore at a cost of ₹73.50 lakh.
As the corporation lacked the technical expertise, the company was entrusted with its operation and maintenance for three years, for which an additional ₹99.69 lakh was paid. Although the company applied for a renewal of the operation and maintenance contract in 2013, the Corporation declined. Since 2013, the machine lay idle in the garage of the Corporation.
An inspection in 2021 had revealed that its parts had rusted and that repairing it was not economical as parts would have to be imported from abroad.
The audit report noted that the Corporation had requested the mechanical wing of the Public Works Department (PWD) in January 2022 to examine whether the chassis of the vehicle can be used after removing the ‘sweeping’ kit. But this does not provide any assurance regarding the scope of utilisation of the machine for the purpose envisaged, the report said.
