The Karnataka High Court on Friday directed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to submit details of expenditure incurred to clear municipal solid waste (MSW) by engaging contractors on an ad hoc basis in areas where the court had stayed the tender process.
A Division Bench comprising Justice N. Kumar and Justice B.V. Nagarathna issued the directions while hearing public interest litigation petitions filed in 2012 complaining about the garbage problem faced in the city.
‘Submt PAN numbers’The court also asked the BBMP to submit PAN and TAN numbers of these contractors following allegations that the civic body had given work to a coterie of contractors. The court had permitted the BBMP to get these areas cleaned through contractors on an ad hoc basis till the legality of the tender process was decided.
Consultative bodyMeanwhile, the Bench suggested that the Ministry of Environment and Forests take appropriate action to make the consultative body, as mentioned in the draft Municipal Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2013, notified in April 2014, a broad-based one giving proper representation to the appropriate government agencies dealing with MSW in every State.
The bench made the suggestion on being informed that the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board or the Urban Development Department of Karnataka have not been included in the consultative body though these agencies are vital in enforcing the MSW Rules. The next hearing is on June 13.
