Bengaluru, June 10 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Karnataka Assembly Opposition leader R. Ashoka on Wednesday sought an independent and time-bound investigation into alleged irregularities in the tender process for the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) project proposed for Bengaluru.
The allegations assume significance as they constitute the first major corruption charge levelled by the BJP against the newly-formed government led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
The matter gained further momentum after a BJP delegation led by R. Ashoka met the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and submitted a memorandum seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The delegation also demanded the dismissal of the Congress-led state government, alleging large-scale financial impropriety in the project.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the project involved a scam worth Rs 36,500 crore and claimed that kickbacks amounting to Rs 10,000 crore had been paid.
“The new (Congress) government has brought forward this proposal and awarded waste management tenders to powerful companies. Earlier, waste management work at different levels was carried out by local operators. This is a major scam involving a project worth Rs 36,500 crore. Kickbacks to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore have been taken,” the Opposition leader alleged.
“This is a programme to loot the taxpayers of Bengaluru. At present, there are no elected representatives in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Taking advantage of the absence of elected members, this massive scam has allegedly been carried out and has now come to light,” Ashoka said.
The Opposition leader also criticised the state government’s decision-making process regarding the project and questioned the duration of the proposed contract.
“The state government has imposed garbage tax and various cess charges on the people of Bengaluru. No sensible person would award a tender for a period of 65 years. This is perhaps the first scam of such magnitude in the field of waste management,” he alleged.
Targeting the Congress leadership, Ashoka referred to remarks previously made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and accused the state government of pursuing policies that would burden Bengaluru residents.
“Rahul Gandhi once said that if you put potatoes on one side, gold would come out on the other. The Congress government led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar seems to be following that advice. They are putting garbage on one side and taking out gold on the other,” he remarked.
The BJP leader also alleged that the contract had been awarded to a blacklisted company and warned that the implementation of the project would adversely affect Bengaluru’s residents.
“The tender has been awarded to a blacklisted company. If this project is implemented, the people of Bengaluru will suffer. We have requested the Governor to intervene, hand over the case to the CBI and take appropriate action,” Ashoka said.
Demanding immediate intervention, Ashoka called for the withdrawal of the tender and strict action against officials involved in the process.
“This tender should be withdrawn. The officers responsible for these irregularities must be held accountable and face legal action,” he said.
Ashoka alleged that the tender process undertaken by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) raised serious concerns regarding transparency, financial prudence and compliance with statutory procurement procedures.
He claimed that several decisions related to the project, including tender evaluation, tipping fee revisions and land acquisition, warranted detailed scrutiny.
According to Ashoka, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), through BSWML, has proposed to establish a comprehensive system for the scientific processing and disposal of municipal solid waste generated in Bengaluru.
However, he alleged that there appeared to be a predetermined understanding to award the project to entities associated with the Hyderabad-based Ramky Group even before the formal tendering process began.
He said that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and tipping fee estimates were originally prepared by RITES Limited and subsequently approved by the BSWML board after examination by various technical committees.
As per the approved DPR, the tipping fee was fixed at Rs 2,998 per tonne, including charges for primary collection, transportation, processing and disposal.
Ashoka alleged that while no bidder participated in the first tender call, three bidders participated in the second tender process but were declared technically disqualified.
He claimed that the same bidders were subsequently declared technically qualified during the third tender call, raising concerns about the integrity of the evaluation process.
The BJP leader also alleged that BSWML relaxed certain tender conditions to enable previously disqualified bidders to qualify.
He said that any modification or relaxation of tender conditions ordinarily falls within the jurisdiction of the Finance Department and questioned whether established procurement norms had been violated.
Among the technically qualified bidders, Ashoka claimed that Delhi MSW Solutions Limited, reportedly a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ramky Group, emerged as the lowest bidder.
He noted that concerns regarding alleged favouritism towards Ramky entities had earlier been raised by public representatives, including former BBMP Opposition Leader N.R. Ramesh.
Referring to Ramky’s previous operations in Karnataka, Ashoka said concerns had been raised in the past regarding the management of the Mavallipura landfill project, including issues relating to environmental compliance and waste-processing standards.
The Opposition leader also questioned the revision of tipping fee estimates.
He said RITES Limited had originally estimated the tipping fee at nearly Rs 1,398 per tonne.
According to Opposition leader Ashoka, the fee was later revised to Rs 2,151 per tonne based on recommendations made by consultants, representing an increase of more than 53 per cent.
Subsequently, BSWML approved tipping fees of Rs 2,565 per tonne for the North Package and Rs 2,151 per tonne for the South Package.
He said: “If the DPR prepared by RITES was considered inadequate, a fresh procurement process should have been initiated for consultancy services in accordance with the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act and Rules. Instead, another consultant was reportedly engaged to review the DPR and recommend revised rates.”
The Opposition leader also alleged that tender premiums of around 19 per cent were approved despite government guidelines generally favouring cancellation and re-tendering when quoted rates substantially exceed estimated costs.
Ashoka also raised objections to the acquisition of land belonging to Terra Phasma Biotechnologies for the project.
He claimed that the Finance Department had objected to fixing compensation at Rs 1.50 crore per acre, saying that it exceeded the valuation determined under the applicable legal framework.
“Despite these objections, Cabinet approval was granted for acquisition through direct purchase, and compensation was later enhanced to Rs 1.57 crore per acre,” Ashoka alleged.
He also said that the proposed project site contains an estimated four to five lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste requiring biomining under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Ashoka warned that handing over the site without addressing the legacy waste issue could result in additional claims by contractors and impose further financial burdens on the state.
The BJP leader also questioned changes made to a committee constituted to review the project.
According to opposition leader Ashoka, the committee’s composition was altered and the time provided for submitting its report was reportedly reduced from 15 to seven days despite the complexity of the issues involved.
Claiming that there was a strong prima facie basis to suspect serious irregularities and possible financial improprieties, Opposition leader Ashoka urged Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to order an independent inquiry into the entire tender process by the CBI.
He requested that the legality of the relaxation of tender conditions, revisions to the DPR and tipping fee calculations, approval of tender premiums and land acquisition decisions be examined.
Ashoka also sought a direction that no final approval or award of the contract be granted until all allegations are thoroughly investigated.
He said the matter involved substantial public funds and required urgent intervention to ensure transparency, accountability and protection of the state exchequer.
–IANS
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