The BBMP expert committee on SWM has recommended to
commissioner Siddaiah to set up such a cell. Speaking to Express, N S
Ramakanth, a committee member, said, “In order to hold someone
accountable for garbage disposal, we have recommended the setting-up of a
dedicated cell for solid waste management.

In our
recommendations, we have not asked for additional manpower. Instead,
excess staff from other divisions will be roped in,” he said.

Sources
in BBMP said the cell will have a set of officials, including an
additional commissioner. At present, Ramandeep Choudhary, an IAS
officer, has been given the post. There will be two chief engineers to
assist him. Apart from them, there will also be one superintendent
engineer at every zone, assistant environmental engineer at the division
level and one health inspector at each ward. 

“All these days,
civil engineers in many wards were made in charge of garbage clearance.
Now, the committee has recommended to replace them with environmental
engineers,” a source said. In the first week of April, Siddaiah had
promised the High Court to set up dry waste collection centres at all
the 198 wards by the month-end. However, BBMP sought an extension and
asked for a month’s time as officials were deputed on election duty.

The case will again come up this month-end.

A senior official said they will also submit the recommendations made by the expert committee on setting up of the SWM cell.