Kavita Reddy, a resident of HSR Layout, does not know what to do with the garbage piling up in her house. It has been nearly 10 days since the waste collector turned up at her doorstep.
HSR Layout is not the only locality facing this problem. Residents of Jayanagar, Yelahanka, Vidyaranyapura and RR Nagar are also in the same boat after door-to-door waste collection suddenly became irregular.
The problem is severe in South and West Zones following the closure of Terra Firma that was taking 800 tonnes of mixed waste every day.
Residents allege that collectors have become irregular as they do not know where to dump garbage, which is ending up on the roadside.
R. Murali of Jayanagar 8th Block said that it has been eight days since the collection vehicle came to their area. “Many residents have started dumping waste by the roadside, creating black spots,” he said.
When he complained, BBMP officials conceded that collection had become irregular due to issues regarding dumping of waste. But, following several complaints, BBMP officials cleared most of the black spots on Sunday, he said.
HSR Layout Residents Welfare Association met BBMP officials and garbage contractors on Monday. Ms. Reddy said that civic officials blamed the contractors and issued a stern warning.
“But we are not convinced. They have given a Wednesday deadline to clear the garbage on the streets. But its high time BBMP pulls up its socks and finds alternative destinations for mixed waste. While we aim for segregation, there needs to be an interim plan to handle mixed waste,” she said.
BBMP is in the process of readying two abandoned stone quarries in Bettahalli and Mittaganahalli to dump mixed waste. In the absence of alternative destinations, BBMP officials had directed the zonal commissioners to dispose the waste in stone quarries in their respective areas. However, due to their inability to find such quarries, collection has slackened, BBMP officials told The Hindu .
Terra Firma landfill in Doddaballapur used to take 800 tonnes of mixed waste per day
The civic body reissued tenders for garbage collection and disposal in 151 wards on April 6, with a deadline to submit bids by May 6.
Earlier tenders had failed to elicit a good response and were later struck down by the High Court in January. At that time, 37 of the 198 wards had got bids.
The new tenders have incorporated a host of stringent guidelines, including making collection of segregated waste mandatory, but had been termed impractical by contractors.
The revised tenders for 151 wards have relaxed some of the norms, like requirement of compactors, GPS attendance system and other such capital costs as a prerequisite to qualify for the bid.
While the earlier tender had insisted on an escrow account for contractors with 25 per cent of funds, the newly issued tender has institutionalised a similar escrow account for the BBMP too to make payments to contractors.
Subodh Yadav, Special Commissioner, SWM, BBMP hopes that the new tenders will elicit a good response. “The only way to move ahead and effect a shift in Solid Waste Management on the ground in the long term is to go for these new contracts,” he said.
Meanwhile, the remaining 47 wards that are too large geographically will be broken down into multiple blocks with each block being awarded a contract. “Many of the wards in Mahadevapura, Yelahanka and Bommanahalli are too large for a single contractor to handle or even for us to monitor, which is why we will be breaking them down,” Mr. Yadav explained.
The only way to move ahead and effect a shift in Solid Waste Management on the ground in the long term is to go for these new contracts
Subodh Yadav,
Special Commissioner, SWM, BBMP
Catering to South, West and Yelahanka zones
Landfill closed on March 31, as per CM’s promise
Hits door-to-door waste collection
BBMP identifies four quarries to dump mixed waste
They are Bettahalli, Mittaganahalli, Kannur and Kada Agrahara
Has begun work at Bettahalli and Mittaganahalli
Geo-membraning and leachate treatment plants being set up
