The Karnataka High Court has permitted the state government to go ahead with the Bengaluru garbage tender it floated in July, dismissing challenges to aspects of the tender from contractors while also directing the creation of a unified technology-based system to deal with solid waste management in the city. The order was passed by a single-judge bench consisting of Justice Suraj Govindaraj on November 3.
In this case, several contractors had approached the high court against the tender for waste management, arguing that the court had not interfered with the withdrawal of a tender in 2024, as the Advocate General had then assured that all contractors would be permitted to participate in the new one. However, this tender was also withdrawn, and the fresh one floated in July. The contractors argued that the fresh tender damages their interests as the number of “packages” is only 33 and the cost of the tender has also been considerably increased.
While the court did not accept these contentions, it extended the tender bid deadline to November 10 to permit contractors to act as a consortium in submitting bids. The court, however, took note of the current state in waste management, “characterised by overflowing bins, ubiquitous blackspots, and the constant threat of vector-borne diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya.”
In this context, it issued several directives to create a “single, unified, and integrated digital platform for Solid Waste Management.” The court envisioned the use of CCTVs to capture violations and the use of a digital platform to issue penalties, among others. It also directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a Nodal Oversight and Implementation Committee for SWM Surveillance within 15 days, comprising the Chief and Zonal GBA Commissioners, the head of Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), a DCP rank police officer, a senior scientist, a CCTV and data management expert and a legal advisor, among others.
The court also stated that this digital platform should have live vehicle tracking capability for waste collection vehicles, performance cards for each ward, and a grievance redressal system. It also directed that grievances can only be marked “closed” by complainants to prevent premature closure by officials.
It directed the creation of an administrative dashboard that would have a live view of all solid waste management assets, including vehicles and stations, performance analytics down to the ward and vehicle level, and analytic data regarding grievances and waste disposal.
