Lokayukta begins suo motu proceedings against BBMP officials for poor garbage management

Bengaluru: Karnataka Lokayukta has filed eight separate suo motu proceedings against the BBMP officials of all the zones after obtaining a detailed report about poor garbage management in the city, Lokayukta officials told DH.

Karnataka Lokayukta, B S Patil, said that extensive reports regarding garbage management in all the BBMP zones were prepared after the inspections.

“The reports suggested indiscriminate garbage disposal in public spaces and poor management. Inspections exposed the negligence of the officers, prompting me to initiate suo motu,” Patil told DH.

The suo motu proceedings initiated under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act (KLA) charge the officials with dereliction of duty and maladministration. The respondents in the proceedings include the zonal commissioners of all eight BBMP zones, joint commissioner, health officers, environment officer, and all other concerned officers.

The suo motu cognizance followed a detailed report prepared after a survey by the Lokayukta officials based on the direction of Patil.

The latter had conducted a series of inspections over the last several months. Heaps of garbage on footpaths, empty plots, and even parks were noted in a detailed report prepared by Lokayukta officials after the survey.

BBMP cries citizen’s apathy

After serving notices to certain officials, several hearings were held. They claimed that most of the citizens were dumping garbage during the early hours of the day. Another major challenge for the civic body is waste dumping into the flowing rajakaluves by commercial establishments, especially from the hotel industry. There have been instances where residents have assaulted Marshals who questioned them for throwing garbage in the streets, according to BBMP officials.

Lokayukta suggests a few ways

Patil said that it is BBMP’s responsibility to manage garbage disposal and keep the city clean; there is no excuse for that. “As regards harassment of Marshals, I have asked the DCPs to look into it and support them. Apart from that, I have suggested the civic body come up with a plan to curb street throwing of garbage,” Patil told DH, adding that he had asked the civic body to strictly monitor garbage collection vehicles as well.

Three teams formed

The Lokayukta has formed three teams, each headed by a Superintendent of Police (SP), who will not only carry out the inspections but will also follow up on the reports. Patil also noted that the ombudsman will implement the plan throughout the state in phases.