The Hindu 18.02.2013
Garbage: a weighty issue for the BBMP now
As if solving the garbage crisis was not tough enough, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is now facing another challenge: of correctly weighing the solid waste generated in the city.
So far, the BBMP had been claiming that around 4,000 tonnes of garbage was generated in the city every day. With the garbage weighing exercise under way, it seems that the BBMP’s approximation was less. According to sources in the BBMP, the weight of the garbage has been varying between 3,200 tonnes and 3,800 tonnes.
Following directions from the High Court of Karnataka, the BBMP has taken up the garbage weighing exercise. A senior official said that garbage weighing was being taken up at Doddaballapura, Mandur and Mavallipura.
While stating that the quantum of garbage cannot be constant, the official said that there may be several reasons for the fluctuations in weight.
After the High Court directed the BBMP to weigh the garbage, there was a proposal to procure at least five or six weighing machines. However, the sources said that BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah rejected the proposal given the civic body’s precarious financial condition.
Mr. Siddaiah told The Hindu that he had issued directions to officials to use private weighbridges. He said that there were a few unused weighing machines at Mandur. He said that he had directed the officials to shift these machines to other landfills in Bingipura and Lakshmipura.
