Pune city has started something new and exciting – India’s first electric pushcart for waste collectors. The Pune Municipal Corporation and SWaCH group are giving 150 battery-powered carts to help over 4,000 waste pickers, mostly women, who collect garbage from more than 40 lakh people in the city.
A company from Delhi called Accelero Vehicles made these special carts. These carts have batteries that can be removed and charged, and they can run for 15 kilometers at walking speed. The best part is that these e-carts can carry up to 300 kilograms of waste, which is much more than what people could carry before, and it’s much easier on their bodies too.
Right now, these e-carts are being tested in six areas of Pune. This is very helpful because earlier, waste collectors had many health problems from pushing heavy carts all day. Their backs would hurt, and they’d get very tired. These new e-carts help them work without getting so tired.
A group called Kashtakari Panchayat is teaching waste collectors how to use these new carts. They’re making sure that everyone can learn to use them, even if they haven’t gone to school or don’t know how to drive. They’re using simple ways to teach so that everyone can understand.
This new program is good for the environment because these carts run on electricity and don’t cause pollution. It’s also very good for the waste collectors, especially women, who do this important work of keeping our cities clean. Now they can do their work more easily and with more respect.
This program shows how different groups – like the city government, waste picker groups, and companies that make these carts – can work together to solve many problems at once. It helps keep the city clean, makes work easier for waste collectors, and is good for the environment. Other cities in India can learn from what Pune is doing and start similar programs.
The Pune local news initiative continues to showcase the city’s commitment to sustainable waste management practices.
