Now, government to invite global bidders for road sweeping

The Delhi government is planning to rope in international experts for mechanical sweeping of roads, in a bid to curb the rising air pollution level in the national Capital. The decision was taken after an earlier tender issued for a few Indian companies received a poor response.

"The government has planned to float global tenders to attract both domestic and international companies to mechanically sweep the city roads. As per requirement, 15 vacuum cleaning roads machines will be purchased. Very few Indian companies have the required expertise in the area. That is why the tenders floated last year received a poor response," a senior government official said.

At present, the Public Works Department (PWD) operates four vacuum-cleaning road machines, taken on rent. It now wants to buy these machines for a permanent solution to dusty roads.

The proposal for mechanical sweeping of Delhi roads was put forth in December 2015. The global tenders are expected to be floated later this month.An IIT-Kanpur study on Delhi's air quality had identified road dust as the biggest source of suspended particulate matter in the city's air, pegging it at 38 per cent. "Nearly 1,280km of the city's total road length comes under the local PWD, as it is responsible for roads that are more than 60ft wide. The rest come under the purview of the civic bodies," it stated.