PM Modi wants to help but…

Wealth we produce goes to our Bank. Where does the waste we produce go? It goes to the landfill in different parts of our city. The biggest one is at Sewage Farm, Vidyaranyapuram, Mysuru South, occupying 14 acres and it is so big beforelong it might compete with the nearby Chamundi Hill! 

Though not as old as the Chamundi Hill, the landfill is at least 20 years old and its foul smell surrounds the area in a radius of a kilometre. When there is high velocity wind, it may travel beyond. People living in its neighbourhood have a problem but the authorities did not seem to attend to end this menace.

With the Vidyaranyapuram landfill becoming unwieldy and unmanageable, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) set up one more landfill of 11 acres on H.D. Kote Road about one-and-a-half month ago and another one in Mysuru North at Kesare, also 11 acres, about seven months ago.

Now the monsoon is here and the decaying garbage will exacerbate the problem of dumping the waste and containing the spread of its foul stench because it is not treated.

Solution to this problem is in getting rid of this mountain of solid waste standing tall, ever growing in height and size, as a health hazard and mocking at the MCC. In order to leverage this daunting task, the MCC, armed with the Government’s approval, thanks to PM Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Mission), prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to clear the existing solid waste mound and to prevent that kind of accumulation of solid waste in the future — collection and disposal of solid waste.

Accordingly, the MCC prepared the tender inviting bids for the work on 3.8.2023. This was published in the newspapers on 6.8.2023. The scientific (technical) bids were opened on 7.12.2023. And then a meeting was held on 2.1.2024 under the chairmanship of MCC Commissioner Ashaad-ur-Rahman Shariff. The tenders (bids) that were received were evaluated. There were four parties who participated in the bid and of them the bid of Mr. Hardik Bhikhabhai Khunt (M/s D.H. Patel) was apparently accepted and recommended for the ‘technical bid’ approval. Finally the State High Powered Committee (SHPC)  of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) approved the  technical bid (ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕ ಬಿ️ಡ್) and asked the MCC Commissioner to take it forward.

All is well so far, though it has taken over a year to come to this point of possible success — from April 2023, when administrative approval was given, to May 2024, so to say.

So far so good. But the question staring Mysureans in the face is: What next? Will the solid waste management project take off without let or hindrance? Or will it suffer the fate of Raja Marga work and the Town Hall multi-level parking lot work? God only knows.

According to a letter addressed to the Commissioner, MCC, dated 20.4.2024 by the State Mission Director, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Bengaluru, a writ petition No. W.P. No. 9711/2024 (GM-TEN) has been filed before the Honourable High Court, Bengaluru, related to the tender in the matter of this project —  M/s MS Jathin Infra Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru, Vs the Secretary to the Government, Department of Urban Development, Bengaluru and others. So the project will be stalled, speaking from experience, till the day of deliverance from the Court case.

Mysureans may continue to suffer the stink till then.

e-mail: [email protected]