Track your tipper: BBMP passes the waste baton to public

After failing to effectively track its garbage-collecting auto tippers using cutting-edge technology, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to hand over the mechanism to citizens, and thereby achieve complete transparency and accountability in the door-to-door waste collection system.

In 2019, the civic body had adopted a mechanism to track its fleet of auto tippers using the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.

Now, two years later, it has discovered that nearly 46% of the vehicles and 29% of compactor trucks involved in garbage collection couldn’t be tracked due to various technical reasons.

“We are planning to design a mobile application that will enable citizens to track the auto tippers allocated to their block. This will bring accountability and transparency in the system,” said Harish Kumar, Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), BBMP.

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This apart, the BBMP has also been flooded with complaints about inefficient door-to-door collection service by the tippers, which had resulted in a blame game.

“Several citizens have complained that the vehicles are irregular and do not turn up at the scheduled time. Despite the mechanism to track these auto tippers, we could not effectively do it on a daily basis,” another official of the SWM wing said.

He added, “Instead of passing the buck, if we entrust citizens with the responsibility of tracking, they will not only trust the system but also ensure transparency at all levels.”

The data collected using RFID technology since 2019 was used only by BBMP’s SWM wing officials all these days. “We will publish that data daily in the public domain, enabling citizens to track it. This will improve coordination and help build a transparent system,” Kumar said.

The official, however, added that the plan is still in the initial stage. “We will have to get the app running, test it in a few wards... only then can we introduce it across the city,” Kumar said.

Residents doubtful

Residents are skeptical about the idea as they feel the contractors will find yet another way to evade public tracking. Sushma V, a resident of Uttarahalli, said, “I stay on the fifth floor and by the time I come down, the auto tipper would have left our place. If they can help us track the vehicles, the system can be streamlined. But we hope that the contractors will abide by the new mechanism,” she
said.

A few others have suggested alert mechanisms to notify if the autos do not turn up on a given day. “This helps to avoid keeping the garbage outside. If the autos do not turn up, dogs will feast on the waste and make a mess of the area,” Srinidhi, a resident of Rajajinagar, said.