Salvation for Corporation lorries soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A seemingly never-ending garbage crisis has forced the City Corporation to think twice about its rusting lorries in the garage. To keep them in good and running form, the idling trucks owned by the Corporation would be given out on a rental basis. The Corporation owns nearly 40 lorries, more than 10 of which are air-tight vehicles bought under the JNNURM project. How the trucks, most of which are foul-smelling, could prove useful for private parties is another question though. “The lorries have been lying idle in the garage for over five months now. The daily-wage drivers have also lost their jobs. We have given advertisements to give them out for rent with the driver. It could be used to collect and carry many items including sand and wood. That way we could prevent the lorries from getting rusted and at the same time make some money,” said Deputy Mayor G Happykumar.The interested parties are to contact the garage office and get the lorries on rent. The Corporation has some 20 drivers on a permanent basis and the others are taken on daily wages. The drivers on daily wages have already been sacked and many of them have got themselves new jobs. The permanent drivers, who have been with the Corporation for over 20 years now, some of who have only five years to retire, are however unable to find new jobs. The reason why Corporation is planning to lend out the trucks along with the drivers. “The government has no idea how the drivers or the Cleanwell unit women are surviving. They have lesser concern for the public also,” said a driver in the Corporation who now drives the car of a private party. Meanwhile, the Corporation is waiting for the incinerators to arrive to reduce the garbage problem. The Corporation however has concerns regarding the service of such vehicles bought from outside. According to Corporation officials, the money spent on maintaining and servicing Corporation vehicles are gigantic. Like the Corporation road sweeping machine which has now been taken to Coimbatore for servicing. Lack of service centres to carry out repair works in such vehicles are proving a nightmare for the local body and draining its coffers.