Ahmedabad: Two-year-old Jiya Modhera dies after waste collection van hit her

Two-year-old Jiya Modhera, a resident of Sabarmati's Bhavsagar Society, died on the spot, on Monday morning, after being hit by a door-to-door waste collection vehicle of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). The driver of the van (GJ01 FT0528) abandoned his van and left the spot immediately after the incident.

According to the civic officials, the matter has not reached their official records yet. They said they will investigate the matter and levy a fine on the contractors. "We have come to know of the matter from external sources. We will ask the contractor, look into the matter, and levy a fine accordingly," Harshad Solanki, director, solid waste management, AMC, said. The officer also said that no police complaint had been made until evening.

Door-to-door waste collection vehicles have always triggered controversies.

Ever since the civic body introduced door-to-door waste collection vehicles at a large scale, the service providers have been caught in one controversy or the other. Initially, waste collectors were not collecting waste from designated points. Later, a survey was conducted and points of interest were decided on.

At many places, drivers of such vans were found to be underage and without a valid driving license. Local councillors of Shahibagh and Ghaltodia had caught some defaulters in 2018. In Kalupur, a waste collection vehicle was found carrying vegetables. In another incident, a worker was seen sprinkling water to collected waste to add to its weight. The civic body imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the contractor for this offence.