BBMP to procure 75 sweeper machines to maintain Bengaluru roads

Flush with funds, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is working on a proposal to procure as many as 75 mechanical sweeper machines for the upkeep of arterial and sub-arterial roads.

The civic body, which currently maintains 26 such vehicles, is yet to arrive at a consensus on the modalities of operating and maintaining (O&M) the new machines as it involves very high costs.

On Monday, senior officials of the BBMP’s solid waste management (SWM) cell discussed the proposal with Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, but no decision was made. It is learnt that the civic body is considering purchasing at least half of the machines and another half through what officials call a ‘service contract’.

Under the service contract, the civic body would pay the supplier monthly, based on the performance of the machines.

For the purchase of 75 machines, the BBMP has received a grant of Rs 50 crore under the 15th Finance Commission, another Rs 15 crore in the Shubra Bengaluru programme and an additional Rs 25 crore under the Chief Minister’s Nava Bengaluru scheme. The grant amounts to Rs 90 crore. The BBMP may have to use its own resources to meet the cost of maintaining these machines.

“We will be using self-propelled machines for sweeping the roads in the Central Business District (CBD) areas and the inner road. Around 35 machines will be truck-mounted, and they will be deployed in the outer areas,” a BBMP official said.

Shrouded in secrecy

The BBMP currently operates 26 mechanised sweeping machines, but the operations of these vehicles are shrouded in secrecy.

Of the 26 vehicles, 17 are self-propelled and eight are truck-mounted vehicles. It also owns another machine called ride-on sweeper, which can cover smaller lanes. These machines, officials said, have been handed over to all the eight zones.

While each machine costs around Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 crore, depending on the make, operating these vehicles are equally costly. Each machine is expected to sweep a 40-km stretch in an eight-hour shift. As a majority of the roads are filled with dust and sand, there have been concerns over the effective functioning of these machines.

When Tushar Girinath took charge as BBMP Chief Commissioner, he promised to publish the routes of these machines on the official website. The civic body is yet to make it public.