The Bangalore Metro Reporter
THE GARBAGE MONEY!
MULTI CRORE GARBAGE SCAM TURNS BENGALURU INTO GARBAGE CITY!
Bengaluru City is stinking with hundreds of tonnes of Garbage spawn all over city roads emitting rotten smell all around. The BBMP Mayor, Commissioner, Corporators and even the state government are in a pathetic position on the issue. One cannot even comprehend this rotten atmosphere just because the garbage was not cleared for three days, due to a protest by engineers. Even though there was no connection with Garbage and the engineers strike, the Pourakarmikas and the garbage contractors joined the protest. If one takes a close look at the entire issue, one will detect a pre planned operation by the vested interests....
The entire administrative machinery in BBMP seems to have come under the spell of banana republic. There is no asker and no teller. From the Garden City, Bengaluru literally became the Garbage city for the last few days with garbage piling up all over the city roads. Nobody in the government or BBMP is taking responsibility for garbage clearance which has become a health hazard to the millions of Bengalurians.
It all started when the BMTF filed FIRs against 150 BBMP engineers for allowing building violations, land encroachments bogus works etc. Earlier, the BMTF which is probing the Rs. 1500 crore bogus works scam had arrested about 20 engineers. The engineers contend that they were forced to allow violations etc. by the Corporators, MLAs and even ministers and that they should not be booked. But the BMTF Chief R.P.Sharma, an ADGP, who directly reported to the government, refused to drop the cases and stood his ground. The corporators and other leaders united in demanding the withdrawal of cases against the engineers.
When everything failed, hundreds of engineers went on strike demanding withdrawal of FIRs against the engineers and shunting out Sharma. Clearly, the issue is between BMTF and the engineers, but all of a sudden, the Poura Karmikas joined the strike supporting the engineers and refused to clear the garbage. Further, the garbage contractors too brought in their work force to back the strike. This resulted in garbage piling affecting the millions of Bengalurians directly.
The Bengaluru District In charge Minister and Dy. CM R.Ashoka held discussions with the engineers. As a result, the government shunted out Sharma from the BMTF and the strike was withdrawn after three days. By then, the garbage had piled up on the streets but contractors had their own designs. For public consumption, they removed garbage very slowly alleging that clearing the three days accumulated garbage takes some time. Even after another three days, they had not cleared the piled up garbage.
Arguably, there is a big lobby of garbage contractors in BBMP who successfully extend their contract without calling for tender. They also get higher rate by every year and as on now, the tender issue is before the High Court. Apparently, the garbage contract is a multi-crore business. For the last two years, the BBMP is levying extra garbage cess of Rs.300 from every property and the collection is substantial. In addition, the labourers employed by the garbage contractors collect about Rs.20 from every house per month as their ‘Tips’ which is a voluntary cum compulsory collections. If people do not pay this tip, the garbage would accumulate in the street. Needless to say that the contractors also have their share in these tips.
Whatsoever, when everything seemed settled and people expected the garbage clearance soon, the dumping yard issue came to the fore. The BBMP has already identified many lands around Bengaluru where the contractors have to dump the garbage and also ensure that the people living around these areas are not affected in any way. The BBMP has stipulated scientific dumping of garbage there, but, the contractors have cared two hoots. They just transport the garbage and dump it in the filling places at the dumping yards. Consequently, a rotten smell emits all around and there are severe health hazards to the people living in nearby villages.
As if on cue, the villagers living around the dumping yards are now protesting the garbage dumping in their villages. They are blocking the garbage Lorries and the protests are becoming fierce by every day especially after a protestor died of heart attack during the protest. Further, the dumping yard at Mavalipuram has been declared harmful by the Pollution Board and banned for garbage dumping. It is estimated that about 5 lakh tonnes of garbage is dumped in the Mavalipuram yard over the years. The garbage contractor has not cared to follow stipulated rules on treatment of the garbage.
Shockingly, the BBMP is spending almost Rs. 500 crores towards garbage clearance. One can thus imagine the lucrative business of garbage clearance. In fact, the BBMP pays around Rs. 1500 per lorry load of garbage to the contractors. The contractors are bound to surrender 500 tonnes of manure produced from garbage free of cost to BBMP to be used towards maintenance of plants and trees in parks. However, allegedly, the contractors have not supplied even a tonne of the manure.
In fact the reason behind the garbage contractors joining the engineers’ strike is nothing but their own vested interests. They have a grouse over the BMTF which has investigated the garbage contracts and assessed the actual cost of garbage clearance at around Rs. 200 crores, while the BBMP pays around 500 crores! This glaring difference between the actual cost and the payment made is bound to become another big scam in BBMP. Thus, along with the BBMP engineers, the garbage contractors also have a grouse against the BMTF.
Interestingly, after the government shunted out Sharma from the BMTF, the strike was withdrawn. Three days later, KAT stayed Sharma’s transfer and he is back in BMTF. And the garbage contractors are at their tricks again with their intentionally slow removal of the piled up garbage, adding to the people woes. The dumping yard issue too has come in handy to the garbage contractor to allow more garbage on the streets. They want to portray with their tactics that the contractors are inevitable for garbage clearing and the BBMP must act as per their whims and fancies. Needless to say that many politicians in power and officials in BBMP are beneficiaries of the contractors in the 500 crore garbage deal. That is why nobody is prepared to control the wayward contractors who are holding the Bengalurians to ransom.
It is high time, the BBMP realises its duty towards Bengaluru and Bengalurians vis-a-vis garbage clearance. Till now, they have completely let down the people. One hopes against hope that wiser counsel prevails over the people’s representatives and the officials of the BBMP.
That is all.
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