the goan I network
PANAJI
It was ex-chief minister, Manohar Parrikar’s, dream to convert old Kadamba buses into mobile garbage collection vans so that old buses could be put to use and problem of garbage could also be dealt with.
When Parrikar was heading the govt, efforts were made to convert old buses into garbage collection vans by bringing in local manufacturers and also by taking the technology from Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
Now, it appears that the government is no longer enthusiastic about those plans. This is probable because a private company has built the prototype of such a garbage collection van. The government has neither paid for it and nor has it picked it up.
Damodar Kochkar, managing director, Ultratech Automotive Pvt. Ltd., said, “I have converted an old bus into a garbage collection van, which can collect segregated garbage and can also help in segregating garbage. It also has a TV to give demo to people so that they can learn about how to segregate garbage.”
Kochkar continued, “I have spent Rs 10 lakh to built this prototype, but till date, I have not received a penny from the State Government and nor has anyone come to pick it up.”
When Parrikar was the CM, Goa Waste Management Corporation had approached Kochkar to build the prototype. In fact, a consultant was also hired for the job and drawings were shared with Kochkar. The idea was to take such garbage collection vans from village to village to educate people.
“To build the prototype, I had cut the rear of an old bus and fit a ramp there so that bins can be pulled in. Even a handicapped person can go inside the van and throw his garbage. On another side of it, it has six bins with names written, whether it is for wet waste, dry waste or electronic waste,” Kochkar added.
