Single firm awarded Rs 1,714-crore contract to handle debris in Bengaluru

The Bangalore Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) has awarded a Rs 1,714-crore contract to handle 2,250 tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste to a private firm, under a model placing collection, transportation and processing of waste with a single operator for 15 years.

The civic agency will pay Chaitra Civil Ventures LLP a tipping fee of about Rs 967 per tonne with an assured annual escalation of 5 per cent. However, it is not clear how much fee persons generating C&D waste are expected to pay to the private firm or the civic body.

However, the deal has raised serious questions as the private firm will be handling the entire chain of work — from collection to processing — which generally provides room for inflating the quantity of waste received. Moreover, the monopoly is expected to remove competitive pressure, forcing the whole of Bengaluru to depend on one agency for debris disposal.

The Urban Development Department (UDD) issued orders appointing the concessionaire under the design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) model on December 29, 2025. The company is required to fully invest in setting up the processing plant and deploy vehicles to collect and transport debris to the processing plant.

The processing facilities, each 750 tonnes, are proposed to be set up on three government land parcels: eight acres on Survey Number 14 in Venkatapura village, Dasanapura (belonging to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation); nine acres in Mylasandra village, Begur taluk (owned by the Revenue Department); and seven acres in Marenahalli village, Yelahanka.

The project has been divided into three packages, each with a capacity of 750 tonnes per day and a concession period of 15 years. Each package is valued at approximately Rs 571.6 crore, with tipping fees set at around Rs 967 per tonne. All three packages have been awarded to the same firm.

While officials maintain that the arrangement has been made to ensure the city's roads, lakes and public spaces are free from debris, solid waste management experts note that the absence of multiple operators will affect performance, with little scope for course correction over the next 15 years.

Kareegowda, Chief Executive Officer of BSWML, was not available for comment.

It is worth noting that the private firm, Chaitra Civil Ventures Ltd, had earlier won a Rs 1,052-crore deal to supply 1,750 tonnes of construction and demolition waste to the existing processing plants in Kannur and Chikkajala for 15 years. Altogether, the BSWML will spend Rs 2,766 crore, which is Rs 184 crore per annum.

3 packages & 1 firm

Package 1

Capacity: 750 tonnes

Contract value: Rs 571.59 cr

Chaitra Civil Ventures LLP, Bengaluru

Package 2

750 tonnes

Contract value: Rs 571.62 cr

Chaitra Civil Ventures LLP, Bengaluru

Package 3

750 tonnes

Contract value: Rs 571.62 cr

Chaitra Civil Ventures LLP, Bengaluru