The Hindu 18.02.2013
A circular that will help BBMP save Rs. 20 crore
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has the notoriety of spending more than what is required.
This would have also been the case in the proposal to set up Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) in all wards of the city had not BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah nipped it in the bud.
After many councillors started submitting estimates at a cost of even Rs. 50 lakh, raising the possibility of tax payers’ money being mis-utilised, Mr. Siddaiah issued a circular stating that setting up of DWCCs should not cost more than Rs. 10 lakh each.
At the recently concluded week-long exposition on waste management, Mr. Siddaiah committed to setting up DWCCs in all the 198 wards within the next three months. Around 60 DWCCs have been set up, while more are in the pipeline.
A senior official, on the condition of anonymity, told The Hindu that many councillors were submitting estimates to set up the DWCC in their respective wards.
“There are several councillors who are submitting inflated estimates. A few of them gave a proposal for a DWCC to be set up at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh,” he said.
The official claimed that by issuing the circular capping the maximum expenditure, the BBMP would be able to save around Rs. 20 crore
Waste management expert N.S. Ramakanth said that the Solid Waste Management Round Table had established a model DWCC at Freedom Park at Rs. 10 lakh.
“The model DWCC has a simple design. There is no need for an elaborate structure,” he said.
He said that all that is required is four walls, a sheet roof, toilets and water facility for the workers.
“There should be a concrete platform for the secondary segregation of the dry waste. This is where the rag pickers will sift through the dry waste and segregate it further into plastics, glass and other categories,” he said.
Mr. Ramakanth said that the design model could be easily adopted in all wards in the city. “For segregation at source to become mandatory, DWCCs are a must,” he added.
