CHENNAI: In a bid to save motorists from dust that cause respiratory ailments and accidents, Greater Chennai Corporation is all set to deploy four upgraded mechanical sweepers on city roads.
Chennai Corporation Commissioner D. Karthikeyan and senior officials had monitored the trial test of a mechanical sweeper that was conducted in Ripon Buildings, on Wednesday afternoon. “The civic body has decided to buy four mechanical sweepers to clean the roads effectively. After the trial run, the sweepers would be deployed on roads with Commissioner’s approval,” a Chennai Corporation official said.
It is learnt the Chennai Corporation has 12 such mechanical sweepers, although with limited features. The mechanical sweepers are modules attached with trucks and function according to the principle of vacuum cleaners.
“The 12 sweepers would only sweep 1.5 meters of the road at once, whereas, new sweepers would clean and suck dust to the width of 3 meters,” the official added.
The officials also said that sweepers would be procured within a week and allotted to zones. These sweepers would clean arterial roads. The cost of each mechanical sweeper is '62 lakh, the officials said.
“The sweepers could clean and store 2 to 2.5 tonne of dust, which will be later dumped into dumping yards,” one of the official added.
