Two Jatayu machines purchased by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) four months ago to collect roadside garbage are currently lying idle due to lack of trained drivers to operate them.

The Jatayu machines, mounted on quadricycles, act as powerful vacuum cleaners. These vehicle-mounted dry and wet waste vacuum cleaners are designed to mechanically collect rubbish from roadsides and clean the area. The waste is then stored in drums attached to the machines. Each Jatayu machine has the capacity to collect one ton of garbage at a time.

Earlier this year, in June, the then Chief Secretary of Haryana, TVSN Prasad, declared the need for municipal solid waste in Gurugram under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. This declaration underscored the urgent need to address the increasing levels of solid waste, which had a serious impact on both public health and the environment. During this period, it was decided to purchase the Jatayu machines for Rs 1 crore to tackle the growing garbage problem of the city.

While the test runs of the machines were successful, MCG has since struggled to find trained operators to run them. As a result, the machines have remained unused and are gathering dust at the MCG office.

The additional commissioner of MCG, Dr Balpreet Singh, said, “The civic body has floated a tender to hire operators for two years. A similar tender has gone out earlier; however, no one responded to the bid. As a result, the tender was withdrawn and a new one has now issued.”

In addition to the Jatayu machines, the MCG owns 13 mechanical road sweepers, supported by an annual sanitation budget of over Rs 500 crore. Despite these resources, the city continues to struggle with widespread garbage and dust, leaving residents frustrated by the lack of cleanliness.