BJP alleges ‘Rs 39,000-cr scam’ in Bengaluru waste project, Ramky favoured

Bengaluru, recognized globally as a hub of technology and innovation, has struggled for decades with waste management. While the BBMP (Greater Bengaluru Municipal Corporation) and the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) prepared a comprehensive solid waste management plan, it has now come under a cloud of corruption allegations.

A BJP delegation led by the Assembly Leader of Opposition, R Ashoka, has submitted a complaint to the Governor, accusing the Congress government of being involved in a “massive Rs 39,000 crore scam” linked to waste management contracts, alleging irregularities in the tendering process and a sharp escalation in project costs.

R Ashoka’s allegations

This came a day after Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, alleged that the Congress government had engineered the “scam” in Bengaluru’s waste management sector and received a Rs 10,000-crore kickback through a long-term garbage processing tender awarded to a private company, Ramky Group.

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Ashoka, who later submitted a complaint to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot seeking an investigation into the tender process, claimed the contract had been awarded to this company for 35 years at highly inflated rates, causing a massive financial burden on the public exchequer.

Ramky Group’s role questioned

At the heart of the issue are tender irregularities. In the BSWML project, no bidders participated in the first round. In the second round, all participants were declared technically ineligible. Strangely, the same bidders were later deemed eligible in the third round. The complaint alleges that even before the tender process began, there was an informal understanding to award the project to the Hyderabad-based Ramky Group.

The complaint has asked whether Ramky Group’s involvement is driven purely by financial gain. The company faced criticism earlier in the Mavallipura landfill controversy for violating environmental norms and mismanaging waste. Awarding them this project has angered Opposition parties.

Financial irregularities and inflated costs

The project’s cost revisions appear suspicious. According to the DPR prepared by RITES, the tipping fee was Rs 2,998 per tonne. Without a valid justification, this was revised upward. For the North and South packages, the rates were allegedly set 83 per cent and 53 per cent higher than the estimated costs. Instead of appointing a new consultant as per rules, another consultant was brought in midway to justify the hike.

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The purchase of land from Terra Firma Biotechnologies is another alleged scam. Despite objections from the Finance Department against paying Rs 1.5 crore per acre, the Cabinet approved direct purchase, later raising it to Rs 1.57 crore. This inflated compensation has caused direct loss to the state exchequer. The site already contains 4–5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. Handing over the land to contractors without scientific bio-mining could allow them to raise inflated bills in future.

Violation of administrative rules

Relaxing tender conditions falls under the Finance Department’s purview, but BSWML acted independently, raising concerns of misuse of authority. The committee was allegedly pressured to submit its report within seven days, preventing deeper scrutiny. Opposition leaders argue this is not limited to one department but reflects corruption at the highest levels of government. They stress that projects funded by taxpayers must be transparent.

The BJP delegation has demanded an impartial probe under a retired judge or high court supervision. They insist the tender process be halted until the investigation concludes, disciplinary action taken against guilty officials, and irregularities in DPR revisions and tipping fee calculations examined. Until then, final approvals or contracts should be withheld.

Poonawalla’s allegations

In a post on X, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed the alleged scam is the latest in a series of corruption cases under the Congress government. “After MUDA scam, contractor scam, housing scam, liquor scam and land scam, Karnataka is now witnessing a massive garbage scam worth Rs 39,000 crore,” Poonawalla alleged.

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He claimed the tipping fee for waste disposal has risen from about Rs 260 per tonne to Rs 2,400 per tonne, an increase of nearly 950 per cent. Poonawalla alleged that while the earlier system would have cost around Rs 6,117 crore over 30 years, the new contract will cost more than Rs 39,000 crore.

“The earlier system would have cost around Rs 6,117 crore over 30 years. The new contract pushes the figure beyond Rs 39,000 crore, placing an unbearable burden on taxpayers already struggling with civic breakdown,” he said.

No reaction from government

Levelling similar allegations, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said in a post on X, “Congress means loot, loot means Congress.” Bhandari alleged that “massive irregularities” have been unearthed in the Rs 39,437 crore waste management tender and accused the state government of prioritising political interests over governance.

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“Bengaluru is drowning in garbage, Congress is taking commission from it; and the Chief Minister is busy silencing internal rebellion,” he alleged.

The Congress government in Karnataka is yet to react to the allegations.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka.)