Garbage clearance continues to dog BBMP

Waste not cleared in a few wards, contractor claims bills not cleared

Garbage has not been cleared for several days now from Jayanagar, Yelahanka and Rajarajeshwari Nagar.— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

For the past five days, Shantala Prasad (name changed), a resident of Channammanakere Achukattu, has been fretting as garbage has not been collected from her area. “I have three buckets full of garbage. Since I don’t want to just dump it outside, I am forced to keep it at home,” she rued.

Residents of several localities in the city, especially Yelahanka, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Jayanagar, are up in arms over garbage not being cleared for the past five days.

The garbage contractor has refused to clear the waste citing that bills have not been cleared for the past three months, claim officials of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

District in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy told presspersons on Thursday that the garbage contractor – BVG India Ltd. – had failed to clear solid waste effectively. “BBMP officials were directed to ensure that garbage contractors’ bills are cleared only if the work executed by the contractor concerned is satisfactory,” he said.

He also pointed out that BBMP had cancelled the garbage contract in a few Assembly constituencies, besides levying fines on contractors. BBMP has already floated new tenders for 113 wards.

“In Yelahanka, BBMP has already levied a fine of around Rs. 3 crore on BVG India Ltd. Of the three packages, the contractor has got a stay on two, while the BBMP is managing the third,” he said.

Senior BBMP officials said that the civic body is now handling waste in seven wards in Byatarayanapura and four wards in Yelahanka Assembly constituencies. “The zonal commissioners have been instructed to utilise the services of BBMP’s permanent pourakarmikas to clear the waste wherever required,” an official said and added that the BBMP Commissioner had directed officials to release Rs. 150 crore to clear pending bills.

In a statement, BVG claimed that its dues have mounted to over Rs. 27.66 crore in the last six months. It claimed that no unloading/processing centre has been given for tippers that collect waste from Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Yelahanka zones. Also, it pointed out that bulk generators, unauthorised persons and hawkers dump waste and debris indiscriminately.