Karnataka - Bangalore

BMTF unearths garbage scam

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

UNCARED FOR: A file picture of BBMP contract workers loading garbage on to a truck.

Bangalore: Garbage contractors, in connivance with some health and medical officials of three zones of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), have allegedly siphoned off nearly Rs. 60 crore by producing false bills and without cleaning the city as per norms.

This has been revealed in the inquiry conducted by Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) into the alleged irregularities in garbage clearance and illegal dumping of municipal solid waste by private contractors.

The report recommended that BBMP recover at least Rs 50.97 crore from Rs. 101.95 crore paid to the contractors to lift garbage and other services as per the agreement even as it said they did not carry out even 70 per cent of the work entrusted to them as per the contractual agreement.

Based on the outcome of the inquiry, the BMTF, in its report, has recommended that the BBMP Commissioner book criminal cases against 33 officials and private contractors allegedly involved in the scam.

The BMTF report has recommended that the guilty officials and contractors be booked under Section 407 (criminal breach of trust) and Section 420 (cheating and dishonesty) among other provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The BMTF has recommended to the Commissioner to recover the amount misappropriated by the contractors besides initiating action against the BBMP officials.

BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya told The Hindu he would take action after studying the report and ascertaining the level of lapse on the part of individual contractors and officials.

According to the inquiry, the bills produced by the contractors were cleared by the health or medical officers of the respective ward or zone without any scrutiny.

The officials failed to follow the guidelines and directions issued by the Commissioner at regular intervals.

The inquiry revealed that as per norms, the health officials should have paid the wages of workers hired by the contractors for garbage clearance and other services through their bank accounts by cheque or through the electronic clearance system. However, the officials and the contractors did not maintain muster rolls of workers, records of payment of the Employee State Insurance premium, provident fund, and logbooks of trucks which were used for transporting garbage, and so on.

Keeping such records were mandatory, the report pointed out, adding that the health officials did not file even weekly and fortnightly reports on solid waste management. The inquiry report, submitted by BMTF Inspector General of Police N.R. Nadamani, stated that the contractors illegally claimed lead charges for travelling extra distances to dump garbage at locations other than those designated and the officials concerned illegally okayed such claims.

The BBMP has paid Rs. 8.84 crore as lead charges and the BMTF, in its report, recommended recovering this amount from the contractors while pointing out that there was no reason for them to dump garbage at sites other than those chosen.

The Commissioner on October 14 directed the BMTF to hold the inquiry and submit a report within a month. The inquiry was ordered following criticism form public for irregular garbage clearance in many wards and illegal dumping of municipal solid waste on the city’s outskirts.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu