BBMP cancels landfill tender

A week after floating tender for two landfills on the city’s outskirts, the BBMP cancelled the same stating the identified land is too close to a forest area. 

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on July 20, cancelled its tender floated for the establishment of two scientific landfills.

The decision comes amid speculations that the Palike is planning to hand over work worth hundreds of crores of rupees to the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL) under 4(G) exemption from the transparency rules of the KTPP Act.

The BBMP’s notification of cancellation of the tender read: “Tender notification invited for the establishment of a scientific landfill at Marenahalli village Survey No 182 (Yelahanka taluk) and Mittaganahalli village Survey No 2 (Bangalore East taluk) is cancelled due to certain administrative and technical reasons.” 

However, according to the BBMP, the tender was cancelled after the recommendation of the Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC) of the BBMP to not establish new landfills. Meanwhile, the Forest Department wrote to the BBMP to not establish a landfill in Marenahalli as the identified location is located adjacent to a forest and may harm the wildlife.

“We had to cancel the tender following recommendations of the TVCC and letter from the Forest Department. There will be no landfills in the city after Bellahalli,” said executive engineer Basavaraj Kabade of Project Central-5 and SWM.

However, Kabade added the identified location in Marenahalli will be used by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). “BDA will use the land to dump the silt from Bellandur Lake for which the escrow money has already been paid for by the BBMP.”

After the Urban Development Department (UDD) instructing the BBMP to float tenders for the work, Palike floated tenders for the said project on June 29 that was cancelled within 20 days of the tender submission period. The BBMP had proposed to establish landfills at Marenahalli at a cost of Rs 120 crore and at Mittaganahalli at a cost of Rs 64 crore.

The project had been proposed under the Nava Bengaluru Action Plan approved by H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government. The BBMP has sent several letters to the UDD seeking approval for the work under 4(G) exemption through KRIDL.

Of the total 4,500-5,000 tonnes of waste produced in the city everyday, the BBMP has about seven treatment plants in different places such as in Kannahalli (500 tonnes per day), Chikkanagamangala (500 TPD), KCDC (500 TPD), Sigehalli (150 TPD), Lingenahalli (200 TPD), Doddabidarikallu (200 TPD) and Subbarayanapura (200 TPD), making it an overall 2,100 tonnes of garbage treated daily.

According to the BBMP, the Bellahalli landfill will have to be shut in next 10 to 15 days.