Bengaluru: After DKS surprise visit, BBMP to reactivate 3 waste processing plants

The BBMP plans to resume operations at three waste processing plants — established a decade ago — at Seegehalli, Subbarayanapalya, and Lingadheeranahalli, after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar visited them on Sunday.

During his surprise inspection of the plants, including the one that is under-utilised, the deputy chief minister wanted to check the actual waste processing and whether the BBMP was merely claiming bills without carrying out the work.

Visiting the 120-tonne capacity Seegehalli plant, non-operational for the past four years due to protests from nearby school students, Shivakumar ordered officials to restart the plant. It will likely receive waste for processing from next week.

Shivakumar next inspected the Kannahalli plant, located just half a kilometer away. Despite its capacity to process 350 tonnes per day, he discovered that only a few compactors were delivering garbage to the plant on a daily basis.

The Bengaluru Development Minister checked the weighing machines and the logbook to verify the actual number of vehicles recorded. He also learned that the plant had been handed over to a private firm for implementing waste-to-energy technology, which was not carried out.

Shivakumar was also at the partially operational Doddabidarakallu plant.

Speaking to reporters later, he said he would deploy personnel to monitor the number of garbage-laden vehicles being sent to the plants. "We will also verify the bills to see if there is any mismanagement," he added.

The BBMP currently operates seven waste processing plants, but due to opposition from locals, some plants, including Kannahalli, Subbarayanapalya, Lingadheeranahalli, KCDC, and Seegehalli, are not receiving waste.

Plants such as Chikkanagamangala receives close to 275 tonnes a day, while much of the remaining garbage is being sent to landfill sites.

Last year, Bengaluru received the lowest score in the national cleanliness survey as it was not investing heavily in processing waste.

A trip to Indira canteens

On Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also inspected two Indira canteens.

At the canteen in Dasarahalli, he found that it had run out of food, and customers complained about being charged Rs 10 for breakfast instead of the government-fixed price of Rs 5. He attempted to contact the helpline, but found it non-functional.