BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka on Wednesday alleged that the new Rs 39,000-crore tender for garbage clearance included a kickback of Rs 10,000 crore.
Instead of inviting tenders every year, this time a 30-year contract with a provision for a five-year extension has been awarded to Delhi’s MSWS Solutions Limited or its parent company Ramky, he told reporters here.
Currently, Rs 514 crore is spent annually on garbage collection and transportation in Bengaluru, Rs 380 crore on processing and disposal of garbage, and Rs 444 crore on salaries of 11,000 pourakarmikas, he said.
Ashoka and other BJP leaders from Bengaluru met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and submitted a memorandum to him seeking an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the Integrated Solid Waste Management tender process by BSWML.
He sought an independent and time-bound inquiry into the tender process, including relaxation of certain conditions that reportedly allowed the disqualified bidders to qualify.
The inquiry should start from the detailed project report stage itself -- revisions made to the DPR, tipping fee calculations, and approval of tender premiums, Ashoka said.
The BJP leaders said the decisions related to land acquisition and enhancement of compensation should also be probed. Seeking a thorough background check of Ramky’s operations in Karnataka, they said the company faced criticism over management of the landfill project at Mavallipura.
Stating that tenders were called twice earlier, they said while no bidder participated in the first tender process, three bidders participated in the second one for north and south packages.
However, the bidders were declared technically disqualified. Surprisingly, the same bidders were declared technically qualified in the third tender process.
Ashoka said the government ignored the views and suggestions from its own company and selected an unqualified company as its consultant. The new tender allows the company to take a loan of Rs 1,500 crore. The land for the project has been provided by the government.
He said the current tipping fee is Rs 260 per tonne. But in the new tender, it has been increased to Rs 2,400 per tonne, a 950% hike. If the old rates are continued, the cost for 30 years would have been Rs 6,117 crore. But in the new tender, it is Rs 39,437 crore, resulting in an additional burden of Rs 33,320 crore, he alleged.
A copy of the memorandum was submitted to the Lokayukta.
GET IT PROBED, SHIVAKUMAR DARES BJP
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday accused Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka of acting as a spokesperson of Bengaluru’s “garbage mafia”.
Denying the allegations of BJP leaders, Shivakumar said a powerful lobby prevented reforms in garbage collection for years. He challenged the BJP leaders to get an investigation conducted by any agency into the new tender process.
Private firms are set to invest Rs 6,000 crore in waste management infrastructure, he said. Shivakumar said the BJP leaders did not want to see him as CM and indulged in “jealous politics”.
He maintained that the tender process received court’s approval and that his government ensured transparency in it.