14 waste collection vehicles purchased by Kochi Corporation over a decade ago remain untraceable for auction

Fourteen four-wheelers purchased by the Kochi Corporation in Kerala more than a decade ago for doorstep waste collection remain untraceable, making them unavailable for disposal through auction and preventing the civic body from recouping any revenue.

As per a report submitted by the mechanical engineer of the Corporation’s vehicle cell on November 1, out of the 44 four-wheelers that are no longer usable even with maintenance, the location of 14 could not be identified.

The report recommended that 24 four-wheelers, excluding the six for which valuation has been received, five three-wheelers, and an SUV be auctioned. The report, approved at the last council meeting, further stated that spares were no longer available for the Italian-made four-wheelers, while locally made spare parts did not match either.

Health Standing Committee chairperson T.K. Asharaf said the missing vehicles were probably part of a batch of 64 such vehicles purchased well over a decade ago. “When the issue of missing vehicles came up towards the end of 2015, a book detailing the location of the vehicles, complete with pictures, was prepared. The drivers in charge of the vehicles were responsible for their careless handling, as they got paid regardless of the condition of the vehicles under their care,” he said.

The Left Democratic Front had raised the issue of the missing vehicles during the United Democratic Front’s term led by Soumini Jain from 2015 to 2020. M.G. Aristotle, UDF parliamentary party secretary, said health circles were asked to locate and report the missing vehicles back then.

At that time, vehicles were purchased without an operation and maintenance clause. No ledger was maintained for tracking vehicle movement, and since the Corporation had no workshop, vehicles that broke down were left at available spots. Even when sent for maintenance, the outdated system required bills to be cleared only after approval by the finance committee and the council, by which time the vehicles would have developed fresh problems from being unused for long.

“That system has now changed, as vehicles are purchased with an operation and maintenance clause for 15 years. An engineer has also been appointed to oversee the vehicles,” said Mr. Aristotle.