Hiring sweeping machines affordable than buying: GBA chief

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao said the civic body has concluded that hiring sweeping machines is more cost-effective than purchasing them outright, following a year-long study.

Mr. Rao said that while the authority had earlier bought these machines, the expenses involved in running and maintaining them made the model unviable. “We calculated the detailed cost and realised that hiring is better than buying,” he said. 

He noted that a few companies had submitted strong proposals, offering to take on stakeholder responsibilities if given the contract. Under this model, staffing would also be provided by the company, with clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set for performance. 

Tenders have already been floated, and the government approval has been sought as part of the city’s dust-reduction efforts. Mr. Rao added that the tenders are on the website, and the civic body was prepared to respond if anyone challenged the process.

He also said that GST was included in the tender estimates, and the recent GST reduction would automatically bring down the project cost by about ₹100 crore. 

The GBA chief said the corporation has clearly explained to the government the basis on which it made its recommendations. “We welcome open and competitive bidding. If we get a good price, costs could reduce by 30% to 40%,” he said.

Responding to a query on ward delimitation, Mr. Rao clarified that the increase from 368 to 369 wards, with the addition of one ward in the West Corporation, was based on public suggestions and various criteria examined by the committee before submitting its report to the government.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rao urged civic engineers to approach their work with commitment, passion, and attention to detail, noting that such an approach is essential for delivering high-quality urban infrastructure. He was speaking on Thursday at a two-day capacity-building workshop for engineers and contractors conducted at the Administrative Research Institute (ARI). 

Calling Bengaluru a ‘trendsetter for other cities’, the Chief Commissioner encouraged engineers to uphold the city’s standards and elevate its reputation. The workshop featured a demonstration of Namma Raste Kaipidi, followed by technical discussions and presentations on tender creation, road construction, footpath design and construction, utilities management and ward-road design.