Bangaloreans critique BBMP’s move to levy garbage cess

Groups working for a clean and green Bangalore had much to say about Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) move to impose a garbage cess. At a public consultation held to discuss a new draft tender that will be issued by the BBMP to deal with solid waste management, Amrita Patel, member, Supreme Court committee for solid waste management, said, “An incentive must be given to those who manage their own waste.” Patel said that the draft of the tender does not include details of rebates or incentives for citizens who have been segregating waste at source.

“Citizens should be aware of what the new garbage cess is meant for, what they are paying for. Details of who is eligible for rebates should be clear,” said Sandhya Narayan of the Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT). Gangadhar Swamy, executive engineer, BBMP, admitted that the civic body had not thought about using the cess to help reduce the quantum of unsegregated waste generated in the city.

Activists pointed out that nearly 75% of the citizens who pay taxes (the cess will be collected along with property tax) will find this unfair. “According to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, urban local bodies are supposed to clean the streets and collect garbage free of cost. The BBMP is collecting money for this service, calling it a cess. This is a violation of the act. Instead of providing alternatives and reducing the tax burden on the citizen, it is only extracting more from those already paying taxes,” said MV Anil Kumar, secretary, Forward 68.

Members of the SWMRT said that their suggestions were not considered while the draft of the tender for dealing with waste was prepared. Having compartments for wet and dry waste in the same vehicle will not work, they say. “Colour coded separate vehicles should be provided.  Segregation at source should be made a non-negotiable clause,” said Sandhya Narayan, adding that it was hardly reasonable to expect contractors to segregate large quantities or garbage everyday, and finish work between 6.30am and 11am.

The draft does not take cognisance of the rules of the pollution control board, which sought that apartment blocks that are not equipped to compost wet waste within their premises should not be given occupancy certificates. The interests of self-help groups that earn an income from garbage management should be protected, the participants at the meet said. They also wanted the BBMP to post the draft on the website to invite comments from the public.