BENGALURU: Prepare yourself for a stinky weekend. Garbage was not collected on Friday, and is unlikely to be picked up until Monday. A prolonged delay in paying wages and payments to garbage contractors and collectors has led to the crisis, and contractors and unions have taken an adamant stand. In such a crisis, citizens are advised to manage household waste wisely.
“Our demand for clearing payments is pending with the finance section of the BBMP from a very long time. Due to this, payment of ESI and PPF of workers is pending and penalties are increasing. We cannot be begging at every table of BBMP staffers to get payments cleared, and we refuse to pay bribes. If BBMP does not want to pay and does not want to clear the pending dues, they cannot expect service also. No garbage will be collected,” said a member of the Garbage Contractors’ Association.
As news spread that garbage was not collected on Friday morning and compactors and trucks did not reach landfill sites, panic set in the BBMP solid waste management section and the head office. Day-long meetings were held with BBMP SWM teams and garbage contractors’ unions, but no conclusion was reached.
BBMP Joint Commissioner, SWM, Sarfaraz Khan confirmed that garbage was not collected on Friday, but said all efforts are being made to reach a consensus and ensure that garbage collection restarts at the earliest. According to BBMP records, the city generates around 1,400 tonnes of waste every day. Garbage collection and management is listed as an essential service by the government, and proper disposal and management is mandatory as per SWM rules of 2016.
An agitated and embarrassed BBMP official stated: “Instead of effective inter-government agencies coordination, BBMP should first ensure there is effective inter-department coordination in BBMP. Due to the delay and non-prioritisation of finances, the SWM section is forced to clear up not just the city, but issues inside the BBMP and also plead before garbage contractors.”