Thiruvananthapuram: Haritha Karma Sena members will now visit households in electric tricycles to collect non-biodegradable waste.

Mayor Arya Rajendran inaugurated the project, “Harithavahini,’ to distribute electric tricycles to Haritha Karma Sena members in 15 wards. The cycles will be used for transporting the non-biodegradable waste collected from households to the collection centres. At the same time, the tricycles bought by the Corporation previously for around ₹50 lakhs continue to be in disrepair.

Two Haritha Karma Sena members from each of the 15 wards have been given a month-long training in using tricycles. Tricycles can run up to 30-40 kilometres on an eight-hour full charge, which needs only two units of power. They can be charged using normal plug points. Tricycles have a maximum speed of 18km per hour. 

The concept of electric tricycles was thrown up at an innovation challenge at the Innovations in Sustainable Urban Transition organised by the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) in association with Social Alpha, University of Toronto India Foundation and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration. Accelero Vehicles India Private Limited are the manufactures of the tricycles. 

Earlier, tri scooters deployed across 25 health circles in 2022 had been withdrawn earlier following the purchase of 25 pick-up autorickshaws under the Smart City project. Sixty lakhs rupees were earmarked in the 2021-22 annual plan for buying the scooters. A Coimbatore-based private company won the contract by offering three years’ battery warranty, 2 years’ annual maintenance and two years’ fuel cell warranty. However, the vehicles ran aground due to the failure to undertake timely maintenance.