Garbage mess: Contractor set to face strict action

'Palike has imposed Rs 3-cr penalty on BVG India in Yelahanka zone'

BVG India Company, which had entered the garbage business in a big way in Bengaluru three years ago, is set to face stringent action as its three-year contract is coming to an end.

Highly placed sources in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said the firm that had made tall claims while bagging maximum garbage contracts, has failed to live up to its billing. Sources said the Palike has so far imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore in Yelahanka zone alone, which the firm is contesting in the court of law. In Rajarajeshwarinagar, the Palike had asked the firm to cough up Rs 10 lakh. Recently, the BBMP Administrator T M Vijay Bhaskar imposed a penalty of Rs 2 lakh for failing to clear garbage at Sunkenahalli and violating the tender conditions mentioned in the contract.

Three years ago, the BBMP floated the garbage tenders afresh with some tough conditions in order to break the monopoly of the existing garbage contractors. The Palike floated 89 garbage clearance packages, and in the opportune moment, BVG India entered the business in a big way by bagging 52 contracts. The failure of the firm coupled with the court cases reduced the number of garbage contracts to 17.

City back to square one

As the garbage problem has worsened again, the BBMP is contemplating taking harsh steps against many contractors that would prevent them from participating in the garbage tendering process.

The garbage contract was only for three years, which is nearing completion. The tender conditions have been made stringent that may block the prospect of those garbage contractors on whom maximum penalties were imposed.

“We may blacklist anybody who has violated the tender condition, irrespective of how politically connected and mighty they are,” said the Palike officer.

When contacted, Prasanna Shastry of BVG India said the grounds on which the hefty penalty has been imposed has been challenged in the court of law.

He complained that the tenders were floated in 2012 but the population shown in the garbage contract packages were based on the 2003 census. There was a difference of nine years, which did not reflect in the contract.