Ludhiana: 80 MC e-rickshaws still missing, sanitary inspectors face heat
The e-rickshaws were purchased by the civic body as part of an initiative to improve door-to-door garbage collection across the city; despite repeated inquiries by the officials, the municipal authorities have been unable to clarify who these e-rickshaws were handed over to, or how they went missing
The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC) has submitted the details related to e-rickshaws to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Committee for Local Bodies, but around 80 e-rickshaws are still untraceable, people familiar with the matter said. The issue has already been highlighted in a previous report submitted to the same committee.
Faced with growing scrutiny, MC officials have now pinned the responsibility for the missing e-rickshaws on several sanitary inspectors. These officials have been given strict instructions to locate and recover the e-rickshaws at the earliest or be prepared to face departmental action, including possible financial recovery from their salaries.
The e-rickshaws were purchased by the civic body as part of an initiative to improve door-to-door garbage collection across the city. However, many of these vehicles have been off the radar for months, raising questions over their allotment and usage. Despite repeated inquiries, the municipal authorities have been unable to clarify who these e-rickshaws were handed over to, or how they went missing.
What has further raised eyebrows is the fact that these e-rickshaws, meant to improve the city’s waste collection system, are nowhere to be seen in most residential areas. Residents complain that they still rely on traditional garbage carts, while the promised fleet of modern e-rickshaws remains invisible on the ground.
The matter took a serious turn when members of the Vidhan Sabha Committee recently visited the municipal corporation’s central workshop. During the inspection, officials were unable to provide complete and updated records of the e-rickshaws on the spot. Following this lapse, the committee granted MC officials a short deadline to furnish the missing records and provide clarity on the whereabouts of all vehicles.
Mayor Inderjit Kaur confirmed that the initial allotment of several missing e-rickshaws was done in the name of certain sanitary inspectors. She said if these officials fail to either recover the vehicles or provide a valid explanation for their absence, the MC will initiate proceedings to recover the financial loss directly from them.
