Former Mayor claims contractor that bribes the most wins the tender for garbage collection and disposal; civic body shows according to garbage cess, all is well
Former Mayor claims contractor that bribes the most wins the tender for garbage collection and disposal; civic body shows according to garbage cess, all is well
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Dirty money? The civic body pays each ward corporator Rs 3 lakh per
month to clear the garbage. File pic
Residents across the city have lodged several complaints with the civic body in the last two months about garbage not being collected regularly, but there appears to be a valid reason for the silence they are being met with. Former Mayor K Chandrasekhar has exposed a big scam related to the solid waste management methods in the BBMP. Claiming that officials are hand in glove with contractors, who win tenders for garbage collection, he informed that the taxes collected are used as per their own convenience and not to solve problems faced by residents.
Highest bribe wins?
"The tender situation is very tough. The team that bribes the most wins the tender and this is a huge racket. After 98 more wards were introduced last year, the BBMP is spending Rs 200 crore for solid waste management on paper," said Chandrasekhar. He further added that there is a strong nexus between officials and contractors who win the tender.u00a0"It is a shocking fact that the garbage contractors from the city are paid the highest salary in the whole of South India. BBMP pays each ward corporator Rs 3 lakh per month to clear the garbage. The public needs to know what happens to all that money," he said.
Suffering continues
Residents of various areas are stuck in this crossfire where ironically, garbage problems seem to have increased after having paid a compulsory garbage cess. "We have paid the garbage cess and shockingly post that, the area has become a hub for stray dogs and more garbage. There is a huge unoccupied tract of barren land, on which all the commercial establishments in the area dump waste. We have tried every way to bring the problem to the fore, but have failed," explained Zaheeda Waseem, member of the HBR Layout Resident Welfare Association.
The BBMP has received over Rs 500 crore as garbage cess this year and yet there is no implementation in place. President of the Citizen's Action Forum, N S Mukunda further explained, "Each area is assigned 7 garbage collection trucks and 20 autos, of which only 70 per cent of these are in use. The bigger problem is the framing of the rules."
Simple solution
According to the forum, instead of getting vehicles to collect and transport about 5,000 metric ton of garbage to a secluded place about 50 km outside the city on a daily basis, it would be better if the BBMP sets up garbage segregation centers in each ward. "The dry waste can be segregated and the wet can be converted into compost. The remaining 5 per cent, which cannot be converted into compost should be transported out of the city," Mukunda said. Having already pitched the idea to the BBMP commissioner, the team has got a great response from him. However, because of alleged nexus between contractors and elected representatives, the plan has not taken shape. When contacted, BBMP officials refused to comment on the matter and claimed that tenders are being reassigned as of now.
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