SWM cells in all Palike zones to fix trash problem

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is considering setting up Solid Waste Management cells in each of its zones to deal with the garbage problem. The matter may come up in the BBMP council meeting for approval on Tuesday.

“Engineers overseeing civil works in their wards and divisions are entrusted with monitoring solid waste management. As a result, they are not able to focus on waste disposal,” BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said in his note to the council seeking creation of SWM cells in each zone.

The commissioner has recommended that the central technical cell have a chief engineer, three executive engineers, environment engineers, an accounts officer, two first-grade assistants, four second-grade assistants, a stenographer and six grade 4 employees. “At present, only half of the required workforce is available and vacancies should be filled at the earliest,” he said.

Appointment of marshals

The Palike council is also likely to decide on appointing ex-servicemen as green volunteers whose job will be to keep an eye on those dropping litter in public places and ignoring segregation of waste at source, and recommend fining them.