BBMP officials, contractors made Rs 161 cr from garbage clean-up

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, March 5, 2015,DHNS:  While the City has been suffering the stench of garbage for the past two years, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials were colluding with private contractors to swindle at least Rs 161 crore during their “clean-up” operations.

An investigation by the Palike’s Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC) has found that the BBMP spent Rs 631.41 crore in 22 months on solid waste management (SWM), or garbage disposal, between January 1, 2013 and October 31, 2014.

These funds, however, were used without complying with the set procedure. Officials were found to have wilfully flouted rules by not even preparing a basic estimate for the job.

Indicating that officials colluded with private contractors, the vigilance team discovered glaring discrepancies in utilising funds to the tune of Rs 18 crore that were cleared for vehicle use. Vehicles were shown to be achieving the physically impossible feat of operating across many of the 198 wards at the same time.

Further, 1,099 vehicles that were made before 2006 were being used for garbage clearance, despite tender rules specifying that they should be of the post-2006 make. Contractors did not issue identity cards to those employed for garbage clearance. At the same time, BBMP officials paid the entire amount of Rs 116 crore to the contractors, instead of holding back the provident fund and insurance meant for contract employees.

As a result, contractors did not make the mandatory payments and pocketed the amount, the vigilance team stated. The investigation also found that contractors did not paint garbage clearance vehicles, but claimed money for it.

The BBMP had also paid

Rs 26.95 crore for vehicles and pourakarmikas engaged in garbage clearance prior to the tender process, where they should have been included. However, officials had excluded vehicles and pourakarmikas, causing additional financial burden on the BBMP.

The vigilance investigation revealed that at least Rs 26.95 crore was straightaway pocketed by the deadly troika of politicians, contractors and Palike officials.The report also said that though the BBMP had considered 50 km as the minimum distance that waste had to be carried from the garbage generating point, payments were also made to vehicles plying less than this since there was no chart to show the exact distance traversed.

The muster roll of contract labour employed did not match the actual number of manpower and machines on the ground in at least 100 wards, the vigilance team said. There was in reality a shortage of 1,631 pourakarmikas, 439 assistants, 46 supervisors, 174 auto-tippers, 65 tippers and 10 compactors. Overlooking this, officials made payments as per the contractors’ list.

In conclusion, the TVCC report has recommended departmental enquiries against officials for dereliction of duty. The report said the losses caused to the BBMP should be recovered from engineers and other officials in the accounts section. It also suggested that the ongoing garbage clearance work be stopped immediately and an independent inquiry be ordered.

The TVCC has also suggested a complete revamp of the entire process of garbage clearance, right from the tender process to payments to contractors.