BBMP moves to break garbage mafia
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With just a day remaining, the BBMP has relaxed garbage tender conditions, enabling more Class 1 contractors to participate in the tender. BBMP commissioner Rajaneesh Goel hoped to break the garbage contractor cartel with the relaxed norms.
He told the media that with the new relaxed norms, at least 1,000 contractors are eligible to participate. Till now, around 90 contractors could participate, he said. The solvency certificate to be furnished by the contractor has been brought down to Rs. 25 lakh from Rs 1.5 crore. For SC/ST contractors, it is just Rs 2.5 lakh. Successful contractors can take vehicles on lease; earlier, it was mandatory for contractors to own vehicles. The requirement of experience in handling municipal waste too has been reduced to one year.
He said that the earlier tender was floated after taking the approval of the government. “The ruling party leader in the BBMP and deputy mayor L. Srinivas, were not aware of the sanction from the government as they were away in Pondicherry to study solid waste management,” he said. Ward wise garbage contract will not be feasible for Bengaluru. If a festival takes place in a particular ward, it becomes difficult to clear the garbage, he said. To make contractors fall in line, penalty clause has been increased five times and the tender can be cancelled within 24 hours if the terms and conditions are violated, he said.
To prevent littering, evening shifts will be introduced in commercial areas and on arterial and sub-arterial roads, he said.
Mobile to be used
BBMP environment engineers will be given android mobile phones with an app to click photographs of garbage and upload them to the server and to the control room. Such complaints will be attended to with the support of geo-reference system available with the BBMP. The mobile governance system will help manage garbage clearance better, he said.
No garbage mafia
He denied that a garbage mafia is at work in the BBMP. “It could have been a long time ago, and not now. But being the BBMP commissioner, I cannot use the term mafia. The BBMP is competent enough to manage garbage in the city.”
Segregation at source
Starting October 1, segregation of garbage at source will be mandatory and the Mandur landfill might shut down, as farmers could protest against dumping of waste. Talks will he held with Mandur villagers to convince them to allow dumping for some more time. Meanwhile, the BBMP will shortlist Koramandal Company which has promised to set up a plant in just 25 days to convert waste into gas. A short film on the importance of waste segregation will be uploaded on www.youtube.com and the BBMP account on Facebook. All the joint commissioners have been directed to impart training to pourakarmikas and rope in resident welfare associations and NGOs to make garbage segregation a success.
Road ahead
The BBMP is planning to purchase around 200 acres of land for segregation and processing of waste. A private person has come forward to accept wet waste to convert waste into gas at Chintamani.
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