In yet another case of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s high-tech plans going awry, the mechanical brooms bought at a cost of `3 crore in 2007 from abroad, have been lying idle due to the lack of proper maintenance. The BMC had bought these 20 mechanical brooms in 2007, at a cost of `15 lakh each, with an aim to ensure effective cleaning of city roads. The then mayor Shubha Raul had inaugurated these brooms amidst much fanfare. However, five years later, these brooms are lying unused at the BMC’s Santa Cruz garage at Milan Subway.
In keeping with a practice followed in foreign countries, the BMC had decided to buy these mechanical brooms to clean roads by reducing manpower. Civic labourers failing to clean dirt and clay on roads properly was among the reasons given for the purchase of these mechanical brooms. Hence, 10 mechanical brooms each were bought from M/s Industrial Plants, West Treatment Corporation and Roots Multiclean Limited in June 2007.
However, the lack of expertise to operate them led to damage in these brooms. Further, they broke down completely as the contractors did not repair them in time during the guarantee period, said the BMC’s audit report.
The dust cleaning capacity of these brooms is 14-16,000 square metre per hour. However, according to civic records, these brooms recorded use of only 2,000 square metre per hour, said the audit report.
These mechanical brooms were supposed to be used on major roads, VIP roads, at the Byculla zoo and tourist spots. However, they could not be used as the surfaces of the roads are not even, making these brooms redundant. The heavy traffic movement on city roads is also one of the reasons why these brooms were not used frequently, said an official from the solid waste management department.
Prakash Patil, deputy municipal commissioner (SWM) said, “I am not aware of the status of these mechanical brooms and it needs to be checked. But, we have no plans to buy such machines in the future.”