Harried BMP in hurry to issue work orders

Harried BMP in hurry to issue work orders
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BMP) garbage contractors are in a festive mood as they would receive work orders for Rs 85.5 crore per year - more than double of what they are getting now for the same job. BMP babus have stood by them despite a detailed account of inflated bids on the floor of council, an admission by the chief medical officer that there were no cost estimates and a PIL pending before the High Court.

The officials defended the contracts on the basis of procedural norms but seem to have never applied common sense - nearly half the number of packages are said to be awarded to a single family.

But there seemed to be a confusion over the date of issue of work orders. BMP Commissioner K Jairaj told this paper that the work orders would be issued on Monday, to the contractors after ensuring their resource capability. On the other hand, Joint Commissioner (Health) M P Baligar said that they would be issued in the first week of January. “We issued mobilisation orders at the end of October and work orders are supposed to be issued after sixty-days,” he said.

Asked about the PIL (WP 16825/06) that is before the HC, the commissioner said that BMP had not received any stay order so far while Special Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said that there was nothing amiss in awarding these contracts. The city is divided into 32 packages for garbage management including those using compactors and areas where night sweeping is necessary. The contract terms specified length of roads in each of the packages along with number of households and resources required. Even then, the civic body did not quote the cost of services and the contractors were given complete freedom in quoting their price.

This was conveniently used by a closely knit group of contractors to rig the prices and the connivance of key officials was alleged. The same network of contractors are said to be operating in Mysore and some CMCs around Bangalore. BMP sources said that it would be difficult to monitor if the contractors showed the same trucks for all the civic bodies.

Interestingly, there is no emergency to hurry through the work orders as the garbage is being managed by the same contractors under previous contracts. This would only double their earnings while they continue to do the same job at same cost.