Mumbai, July 16 -- Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd said none of the 5,150 auto-tippers used for door-to-door garbage collection in Bengaluru are fitted with GPS tracking, contributing to complaints of uncollected waste and illegal dumping. The city generates about 5,800 to 6,000 tonnes of solid waste a day, increasing pressure on municipal systems. The agency has made GPS mandatory in new tenders but a section of contractors is opposing the requirement and has approached the court.
BSWML said all 680 compactors used to move waste from transfer points and sorting facilities to processing centres and landfills are GPS-enabled, allowing tracking after collection. Many contractor-operated auto-tippers are more than 15 years old and have a carrying capacity of 500 kilogram (kg), making collection of bulky household items difficult and prompting illegal disposal in some areas. Contractors have said weak or dead batteries and unstable electrical connections complicate GPS installation.
A crowdsourcing platform recorded 6,653 garbage blackspots in the city as of July 9, with Mahadevapura, Bengaluru South, KR Puram, Chickpet and Sarvagnanagar among the worst affected, but BSWML said many listed locations had already been cleared. The agency said it is imposing hefty fines on street dumping and provides free doorstep pickup of bulky items through the DClutter app. BSWML floated tenders for 33 waste collection packages; six are under litigation and 21 are in final stages.
Hyderabad-based Ramky Group emerged as the lowest bidder for two 30-year contracts, with north and south packages quoted at Rs 2,565 a tonne (t) and Rs 2,151 a tonne respectively. BSWML said the two contracts are valued at about Rs 5,160 million (5,160 mn) annually and are yet to be formally awarded. The agency is considering a government-owned fleet and proposes acquiring 40 electric vehicles at an estimated cost of Rs 50 million (50 mn) as an initial step to reduce reliance on contractors for a city of about 3 million (3 mn) households that requires nearly 4,000 auto-tippers.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.