JOIN USLokayukta begins probe into garbage station project
The Rs 305-crore garbage transfer station has come under Lokayukta’s radar following complaints of irregularities.
The investigation agency has initiated a probe on the contentious project, which was introduced by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) last year. Besides the cost, questions were asked about the necessity of the project because it was not aligned with solid waste management (SWM) rules.
Sources said some BBMP officers reported to the Lokayukta’s office last week to provide documents related to the project. While a complaint pertaining to the tender was filed in September last year, the Lokayukta had taken up the case for preliminary scrutiny a week later. Based on the initial findings, the agency has served a notice.
In its August 2, 2022 edition, DH had reported about the project ('Trash transfer stations to push up Bengaluru's waste disposal bill'). The state government had approved setting up of three large transfer stations with a capital investment of Rs 36.91 crore and another Rs 267.65 crore on maintenance for a period of seven years.
These transfer stations are points where auto-tippers load the garbage onto the compactors for disposing and transporting the waste to either processing plants or landfills.
The project had raised eyebrows on two fronts. First, the monthly maintenance cost of BBMP’s existing garbage transfer stations (capable of handling 25 tonnes a day) was just around Rs 3 lakh and the cost of maintaining the new transfer station (150 tonnes) comes to around Rs 1 crore a month.
Second, the civic body had proposed setting up large stations that will ultimately force garbage-laden auto-tippers to travel a long distance. While the BBMP had earlier introduced 50 mini transfer stations on one-per-ward basis, the new stations are expected to cover around 10 wards each. This is likely to affect the daily waste collection process as auto-tippers will spend longer time in disposing the waste.