Residents can expect respite from garbage menace this monsoon.

Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has invited three firms to supply over 2,000 equipment under the much-delayed solid waste management project.

The firms have been asked to enter into agreement within 14 days. On Friday, municipal chief engineer Khagesh Chandra Vishwash issued a letter to the three firms to sign an agreement and supply 1,950 garbage containers and 45 other sanitation equipment.

The chief engineer has been asked to expedite equipment procurement. Tenders for more bins, small-waste collection equipment and six categories of sanitation equipment would be floated soon," said mayor Afzal Imam.

The solid waste project under JNNURM is stuck in a limbo for seven years. PMC is faced with dearth of equipment to cart away garbage from streets.

Not a single equipment has been procured under the project, which was sanctioned by the Centre in 2007. Funds to the tune of Rs 23.09 crore for this project were released by the urban development and housing department in January 2008 including one-fourth of the central government's total share, amounting to Rs 4.62 crore and state government's share of Rs 18.47 crore.

On July 14 last year, the procurement committee of PMC recommended purchase of six categories of equipment and had asked to float tenders for another eight categories.

Apart from sanitation equipment, attempts to execute door-to-door waste collection schemes in the past year have not materialised.