Sweeping machines for city roads

Tirupati: The Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) has procured four automated machines for sweeping roads in temple city from an Italy-based company costing Rs 25 lakh each. The MCT has been utilising services of 400 workers to sweep main and inner roads in the city.

They are sweeping the roads with broom sticks in the early hours and late nights without hindering traffic flow. However, manual cleaning was a slow process and sweeping was not up to the mark.

As part of smart city initiative, the MCT officials have decided to use the sweeping machines for cleaning more city roads in less time. The engineering officials of the civic body had conducted a test run with sweeping machines on the road in front of the MCT office.

The diesel-run sweeping machines will clean 2 km roads in one hour and they can work continuously for more than 9 hours. In the first phase, the machines will be used to sweep pilgrim moving areas like Srinivasam, Vishnu Nivasam, railway station, RTC central bus station, Alipiri Junction and Nandi Circle.

Advantage of the sweeping machine is to suck the dust and other waste automatically. Speaking to The Hans India, MCT Commissioner Ch Hari Kiran said that workers are facing difficulties to sweep congested roads.

Now, the automated machines can sweep the roads without emanating dust in the air, he stated, adding that the MCT has hired a Hyderabad-based private firm for 3-year annual maintenance of sweeping machines and keeping the select roads in temple city clean.