Kulgaon Badlapur Municipal Council (KBMC) has decided to scrap a major chunk of the 42 garbage collection vehicles purchased in 2018 for junk.

The vehicles were purchased for around Rs2.5 crore in 2018. However, the vehicles remained unused and have been gathering dust for the last seven years.

KBMC had chalked out an ambitious plan for solid waste management in the corporation area and towards this end, identified 42 vehicles to collect waste across the city.

The council purchased the vehicles at a cost of Rs5.86 lakh each.

KBMC had passed a proposal for garbage collection vehicles and sanitation workers at a general body meeting held in August 2018.

However, even before the contractor could be appointed, all 42 vehicles arrived in October 2018. Since then, they have been lying idle.

According to KBMC officials, 30 of these vehicles have now been officially sent for scrapping.

The municipal council has invited a tender for Rs16 lakh for scrapping the vehicles.

Reacting to the news reports, Maruti Gaikwad, chief officer, KBMC said, the vehicles had been lying unused and classified as waste since 2022, and this was the primary reason they were now being sold as scrap.

“The Regional Transport Office has directed that the vehicles be scrapped and the process is being followed accordingly,” he added.

When probed further, Gaikwad refused to comment citing he was at Mantralaya.