The Karnataka High Court on Monday came down heavily on contractors for failing to keep Bangalore City clean by not properly and scientifically disposing of garbage.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by the former Mayor P.R. Ramesh and others challenging the decision of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to call for global tenders for solid waste management in Bangalore.
The tender is worth more than Rs. 4,000 crore and it is for cleaning and sweeping the city apart from carting away the garbage and disposing them in landfills and sites identified by the BBMP
When the matter came up, Advocate-General Ashok Harnahalli, appearing for the State, defended the tender process and said it was called as the present tender period was coming to an end.
He said there had been no further step taken either by the BBMP or the State since the matter had come up in court.
He said the new elected body of the BBMP could take a decision on the issue once the BBMP Council is constituted.
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Tuesday submitted to the Karnataka High Court that it had withdrawn all notifications pertaining to calling for global tenders for solid waste management.
On its part, the BBMP said it had already withdrawn tenders for solid waste management. It said it had also filed an affidavit to this effect some time ago.
The petitioners assailed the decision of the BBMP in calling for tenders worth Rs. 400 crore and adopting a new solid waste management system for Bangalore even as the old system was yet to come to an end.
They said that the tender process was riddled with irregularities and urged the court to stay the tenders.
A Division Bench comprising Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.V. Pinto came down heavily on the failure of the contractors to dispose of garbage.
They pointed to mounds of garbage littered everywhere and orally observed that the contractors were not doing there jobs properly.
Mr. Harnahalli said the garbage system is so bad that garbage in front of his house was not cleared even when he was an advocate representing the BBMP.
The Bench adjourned further hearing of the case to March 18.
