Bengaluru, Oct 24 Senior BJP leader R Ashoka on Saturday alleged irregularities in the Bengaluru waste management tenders worth Rs 133 crore, claiming that a contract was awarded to an allegedly ineligible company and sought a probe into the matter.
The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly released documents that he said pointed to violations of tender conditions in contracts floated by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd for waste management and transfer stations.
Ashoka alleged that Muniyappa Enterprises, which was awarded the contract, did not meet the prescribed financial eligibility criteria and that mandatory additional security deposits had not been collected despite warnings from the Finance Department.
“All rules have been thrown to the wind in the waste tender, and the contract has been awarded to an ineligible company in exchange for a kickback,” he told reporters.
According to him, the company had a turnover of Rs 3.34 crore in 2023-24, against the stipulated minimum annual turnover of Rs 10 crore, which was a requirement introduced by the state government in 2018.
Additional security deposits totalling around Rs 12.99 crore had not been collected in Packages 2 and 5 of the tender.
“In Package 2, an additional deposit of Rs 6.79 crore should have been collected, while Rs 5.99 crore was not collected in Package 5. Even after the Finance Department issued a warning, the authorities went ahead with the tender,” he alleged.
The LoP also questioned the decision to award the contract without negotiations with other eligible bidders, claiming that the authorities could have sought lower rates.
He claimed that tenders for 21 waste transfer station packages were floated without first identifying the land required for the facilities.
“The files related to Packages 2 and 5 should be seized immediately. The eligibility of the company that secured the tender and the land identified for the transfer stations must be clarified.”
Demanding a high-level inquiry or a probe by the Lokayukta, Ashoka alleged that officials had bypassed established procedures and that a minister had a role in the matter.
“I will write to the Chief Minister demanding cancellation of the tender. If it is not cancelled, it will raise questions about whether the Chief Minister also has a share in it,” he said.
The BJP leader also criticised the increase in waste collection charges, claiming that residents of apartments who earlier paid Rs 40 were now being charged Rs 400. He alleged that officials were threatening to stop daily waste collection if the charges were not paid.
There was no immediate response from the state government to the allegations.
(PTI News)
