Welfare schemes for ecocab operators

Tribune, Our Correspondent

Fazilka, January 4
To make Fazilka's world famous ecocab system more operator-friendly and hi-tech, the Graduate Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF), after winning the prestigious National Urban Mobility Award-2011 by the Union Ministry of Urban Development, last month, has come up with welfare schemes for ecocab operators from the current year.

GWAF started distributing branded shoes from today to the traction men. "One-fourth of the total cost would be paid by the operators and rest shall be borne by the GWAF," informed GWAF general secretary Navdeep Asija. GWAF patron Dr Bhupinder Singh distributed the shoes amongst a dozen operators.

Asija said that tenders have been invited to purchase 200 GSM based mobile phones for the ecocab operators. At present, there are about 500 traction men in Fazilka, of which 350 have registered themselves with the project.

Development of new ecocab machines, designed with less weight, is also in the pipeline. For performance evaluation, it will be handed over to the Ecocabs Fazilka on January 10 and after receiving their feedback, the next fleet shall be delivered.

"In the mean time, five new ecocabs of the existing model with new children's seat shall be handed over to next batch of five beneficiaries on January 7," he said.

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