Garbage consumes 7 hours

Garbage consumes 7 hours

During a marathon legislative council session on the garbage scam, CM assured lawmakers that CCTVs would monitor the movement of garbage vans even as opposition staged a dharna demanding CBI probe, Hemanth Kumar reports

Hemanth Kumar



The legislative council on Wednesday dedicated seven hours to the discussion of the garbage disposal scam. Opposition parties raised the issue during question hour, demanding a CBI probe. VS Ugrappa of the Congress said that over the last three years, Rs250 crore has been lost in the scam. Under the original tender notification, Ugrappa alleged, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had quoted Rs74 crore for the garbage disposal contract, which was later allotted at Rs84 crore per annum. Ugrappa alleged that the state had made a loss on account of collusion between officials and contractors belonging to Bharatiya Janata Party.
The BBMP, for the purpose of garbage disposal, has divided the city into three zones—east, west and south. Thirty members were allotted the contract. The opposition parties alleged that the disposal of garbage was occurring in an unscientific manner, and that the process was marred by irregularities.
JD(S) leader MC Nanaiah and JD(U) leader MP Nadagouda too supported the contention of Ugrappa. The opposition leaders said that the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) had submitted a report on the garbage scam and identified erring officers and contractors, but the government had failed to act.
Replying to the demands of the opposition, Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa said close-circuit TV cameras will be installed to monitor the movement of garbage vans. He claimed that irregularities in garbage disposal were occurring for almost a decade and that contractors could not be immediately replaced, without putting the whole garbage disposal process in the city in disarray. He assured the house that appropriate action would be taken against erring officials and contractors after an investigation is conducted.
Dissatisfied with the CM's reply, opposition parties staged a dharna demanding a CBI inquiry. The chief minister replied that judicial probe will be conducted within three months, and the government will initiate action.