Sworn affidavits sought in Rs 550-crore garbage contracts row in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The city’s massive garbage collection contracts — worth over Rs 550 crore annually — have come under renewed scrutiny, with the Urban Development Department (UDD) directing the Bangalore Solid Waste Management Authority (BSWML) to file sworn counter-affidavits in response to multiple appeals challenging the tender awards.

In a recent communication, the department asked BSWML to submit affidavit-based replies for each appeal filed against the newly finalised waste collection and transportation contracts.

Officials say the move places responsibility on oath, making the officers concerned personally accountable for defending the decisions taken.

63 appeals, 33 packages

The contracts, floated in July 2025 following directions from the Karnataka High Court, divided waste collection and transportation across Greater Bengaluru into 33 packages spanning five civic corporations.

Spread over seven years, the total value of the contracts is close to Rs 4,000 crore.

After BSWML’s Technical Evaluation Committee announced the successful bidders, around 63 unsuccessful firms filed appeals before the UDD, alleging irregularities in the evaluation process. Several disputed packages cover fast-growing constituencies such as Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli, KR Puram and Yeshwantpur.

The appellants claim that some selected bidders failed to meet mandatory technical and financial criteria, including adequate vehicle strength, minimum financial capacity to manage large-scale operations, and compliance with statutory payments such as PF and ESI. One of the firms, they allege, had also been blacklisted elsewhere.

Notably, the UDD’s directive places responsibility for filing the affidavit-based responses on the General Manager (Technical) of BSWML, even though the bids were cleared by a Technical Evaluation Committee headed by an IAS officer.

Garbage collection contracts in the city, covering wet, dry and sanitary waste from households, have long been contentious, frequently marred by performance disputes, delayed payments and allegations of favouritism.

The new tenders introduced reforms such as stricter penalty clauses, induction of GPS-enabled vehicles and an expanded fleet for the city’s fast-growing outskirts.