Several apartments in the city have been slapped with notices by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), questioning them about the lack of in situ waste processing facilities. Apartment residents, however, are maintaining that they have been served notices even when the waste processing facilities were fully operational.
Seema Sharma, a waste management expert from Bellandur, said BBMP officials had recently inspected waste processing facilities in many apartments and issued notices the same day.
“As per the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, the bulk generators (apartments, convention halls, wedding halls and so on) are encouraged to have in situ processing facilities ‘as much as possible’. That apart, many apartments are sitting on a huge quantum of compost that has been generated, as there is no buy back facility extended by the BBMP,” she said, and pointed out that the civic body also did not extend any incentive for apartments/bulk generators to have these processing facilities.
Offering incentives
N.S. Ramakanth, member, SWM Expert Committee, said waste management experts had recommended that the BBMP incentivise bulk generators who have in situ processing facilities. “For the past three years, we have been trying to get the civic body to either provide a rebate on the SWM cess levied or waive it off completely. Unfortunately, The subject keeps getting deferred,” he said.
The Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF) has now taken up this issue with the BBMP. Sandhya Bhat from BAF told The Hindu that the federation will be bringing out a White Paper on what apartments across the city need to do with regard to solid waste management. The federation will also be organising workshops on the subject in association with the Solid Waste Management Round Table.
D. Randeep, BBMP Special Commissioner (SWM), said representatives from BAF had already raised the issue with the civic body. “We agree that not all apartments in the city will have the space to have in situ facilities. In such cases, the apartment association can log on to our online portal, register and tie up with empanelled vendors,” he said. He also said the federation had underscored the need to relook at the issue. “We have advised them to first respond to the notices,” he said, and added that the civic body was open to a dialogue with all stakeholders.
