Visakhapatnam gets plastic bottle crushing machines

In a move that is likely to augment efforts towards making Visakhapatnam plastic-free, GVMC Commissioner Dr G Srijana, on Tuesday, inaugurated plastic bottle crushing bottles at the VMRDA Central Park in the city.

The GVMC has procured 10 plastic bottle crushing machines, each worth Rs 10 lakh, to be set up at different spots in Visakhapatnam. While three machines have been placed at Central Park, Beach Road, and the GVMC main office, the remaining will be set up at other important public places in the city. Inaugurating these machines, the GVMC Commissioner said that they would prove beneficial for the environment while the recycled plastic could be reused.

The Commissioner even flagged off an advanced 3-in-1 trambo machine, which will be used in the cleaning of the underground manholes in Visakhapatnam. Worth Rs 30 lakh, the machine is capable of carrying out the tasks of jetting, sectioning, and desiltation even in congested lanes.

It may be recalled that in November, the GVMC had accepted the Centre’s Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge. The initiative aims at preventing hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and promote their mechanised cleaning. Recently, it was also reported that the city’s municipal body is planning to introduce robots to clean the sewer vents and clear clogged drains across the city. The robots are said to be capable of clearing manholes up to 10-meters in-depth with utmost precision and minimal supervision.

Also, as part of its efforts to combat the use of plastic, the civic body even proposed to install eight structures made out of scrap materials with selfie points along the RK Beach Road and other junctions in Vizag.