Lakshmipur Correspondent: Over a crore taka worth of modern waste management vehicles remain unused in Raipur municipality of Lakshmipur. Supplied under the LGED’s IUIGP project, these vehicles were meant to ensure fast and eco-friendly waste disposal. However, not a single unit has been used since their arrival. As a result, the vehicles are now deteriorating under dust and overgrown weeds raising concerns of mismanagement and administrative failure.

A field visit revealed that all vehicles bear the inscription IUIGP-LGED  Raipur Municipality Waste Management. Despite this, they are rusting away at the municipal premises.

According to official sources, the idle fleet includes: 10 hand trolleys, 5 three-wheeled, garbage vans, 1 truck-mounted vacuum cleaner (2-ton capacity), 1 vacuum cleaner truck (1.5-ton), 1 garbage dump truck (1.5-ton),

1 garbage dump truck (2-ton). Locals expressed frustration, pointing out that effective use of these modern vehicles could significantly improve the town`s sanitation. It’s a complete waste to keep such expensive equipment unused, said Farid, a resident of East Lach area. Pollution is rising. We’ve repeatedly urged the authorities to put these vehicles to use.

When asked, Raipur Municipality Administrator and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Imran Khan stated, Due to some complications, the vehicles have not been operational yet. We are addressing the issue and plan to deploy them soon for waste management.

The IUIGP project is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the French Development Agency (AFD), and the Government of Bangladesh, with a goal to ensure modern and efficient waste management systems in urban areas.