The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, June 9 wrote to Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot, seeking an independent inquiry into alleged irregularities in the tender process for the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) project within the Greater Bengaluru Authority limits.
Addressing a press conference before submitting the petition, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka alleged that the ISWM tender for both the North and South packages had been awarded to a single company for a period of 30 years despite objections from the state Finance Department.
According to Ashoka, the Finance Department had recommended reducing the contract period to 10 years and had also flagged flaws in the tender process. He further alleged that the contract had been awarded to a blacklisted company.
The BJP's petition highlighted several discrepancies, including substantial revisions in the tipping fees fixed per tonne of waste. Tipping fees cover expenses related to waste collection, transportation, processing and disposal. The approved Detailed Project Report (DPR) had initially estimated the tipping fee at around Rs 1,398 per tonne.
The petition stated that the fee was later revised to Rs 2,151 per tonne based on recommendations attributed to consultants, marking an increase of more than 53%. Subsequently, Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) approved tipping fees of Rs 2,565 per tonne for the North Package and Rs 2,151 per tonne for the South Package, representing increases of approximately 83% and 53%, respectively, over the original estimate.
The BJP also raised concerns over the bidder qualification process. While no bidders participated in the first tender call, three bidders who took part in the second round were declared technically disqualified. However, the petition noted that the same bidders were later declared technically qualified in the third tender call.
The petition accused BSWML, the agency responsible for implementing the project, of relaxing several tender conditions with the apparent objective of enabling previously ineligible bidders to qualify. It further stated that among the technically qualified bidders, Delhi MSW Solutions Limited, reportedly a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ramky Group, emerged as the lowest bidder (L-1). The petition also referred to past criticism of the Ramky Group over its management of the Mavallipura landfill project.
Apart from seeking an independent probe into the tender process, the BJP has urged the Governor to examine the legality of the relaxation of tender conditions, investigate revisions made to the DPR and tipping fee calculations, and ensure that no final approval or contract award is granted until all allegations are thoroughly investigated.
