GVMC Mechanical Wing Faces Allegations Over Waste Transport Billing

The Mechanical Department of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is facing allegations of irregularities in billing related to the deployment of private vehicles for sanitation work.

The department handles solid waste management operations, including garbage collection and transport; operation of Garbage Transfer Stations (GTS); movement of waste to the Kapuluppada dumping yard; drain desilting; road cleaning; and beach sanitation.

Sources said the issue relates to private vehicle deployment that became necessary following a month-long strike by sanitation workers and CLAP (Comprehensive Litter Abatement Programme) vehicle drivers in December 2023. Short-term tenders were floated for deploying 50 vehicles per zone.

It is alleged that contractors deployed fewer vehicles than required, but submitted records indicating full deployment of 50 vehicles per zone, enabling full billing. Vehicle details entered in official records reportedly included buses, auto-rickshaws, and two-wheelers, which are not used for waste transport.

A proposal for ratification of the contracts was placed before the GVMC Standing Committee in March 2024, but was returned by the committee, citing procedural lapses.

After administrative changes and reconstitution of the Standing Committee, the file was reportedly resubmitted and ratified in a later meeting. It was then forwarded to the Accounts Department for payment processing.

The matter came to light after discrepancies were noticed in a contractor’s vehicle list. Officials said the issue has been brought to the notice of senior authorities.

There are also allegations that a contractor linked to the case has been issuing threats to staff over phone calls. Officials said a detailed inquiry by the GVMC Commissioner would help ascertain the facts and fix responsibility.