Hyderabad: An angry commuter beat up a GHMC garbage truck driver irked by leaking garbage from the truck’s dumper bins at Lower Tank Bund road. A commuter drove his car before the truck to stop it and beat up the driver for allowing the garbage to leak, until staff from another vehicle intervened.

“I was driving the truck, with the safety net covering the tops of these bins when the incident happened. The bins are rusted, partly broken and usually leak garbage while taking turns or when passing over a speed breaker,” said the truck driver Chandraiah, on contract. “When I informed my supervisor, he told me new dumper bins are being procured. It will be replaced,” he said.

Many dumper placers move around the city with no covering on the top, despite strict instructions from the GHMC officials. In fact, some drivers are using bed sheets to cover the open tops of these bins to protect themselves from public abuse.

“The supervisors do not give us these nets. Some drivers have it, some do not. We do not want to be beaten up by the public for littering garbage,” said another truck driver.
Meanwhile, a senior sanitation officer claimed the “GHMC will be procuring new trucks and bins. “We are in the process of obtaining replacement bins. We will replace around 300 damaged bins with new ones very soon,” he said declining to comment on the procurement date.

“These drivers are accompanied by assistants for wrapping the tops with protective sheets to prevent accidental littering. But some drivers fail to follow our instructions at times,” he added claiming that “Some drivers are also provided with additional sheets to cover the tops.”

According to sources, the GHMC is engaged in talks with the municipal administration of the state to implement Swachh Bharat at the state level in a much-needed boost to sanitation upkeep where all such issues, including garbage maintenance, will be taken care of.

The GHMC’s fleet of garbage vehicles includes tractors, tricycles, dumper placer trucks and open-tipper trucks. While the tractors and tricycles are for colonies and domestic areas, the dumper placer trucks are used to collect garbage from dumper placer bins installed in residential areas and across streets. A 10-tonner or 25-tonner open-tipper truck, depending on the amount of garbage, will then take the trash to the disposal area from a transfer point. Of the 889 vehicles in the GHMC’s armada, nearly 663 are dedicated for the collection, transport and disposal of garbage. Most of these vehicles are old and have rusted bins with broken lids and leaking bottoms.

Uncovered bins not only contribute to air pollution but also emanate a foul smell and are a health hazard. Ironically, the garbage collection trucks spring into action moments after the civic body’s workers break into sweat sweeping the streets. In the moments following, garbage from these ill-maintained bins begins to litter the city streets. Commuters behind are forced to fret in despair at the slightest wind, not to mention, the air pollution, the foul smell and the health hazard that follows.