Vidyaranyapuram solid waste clearance and Kukkarahalli Lake rejuvenation

Mysore/Mysuru: The issue of tenders awarded to clear the seven lakh tonnes of waste that has piled up at Vidyaranyapuram Sewage Plant to a Surat-based company M/s D.H. Patel Hardik Bhikhabhai Khunt with no prior experience in such tasks was a prominent topic at the Mysuru Grahakara Parishat (MGP) meeting held on Sunday in Yadavagiri.

Another major issue discussed was the awarding of the work order to the New Delhi-based Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for restoring and rejuvenating Kukkarahalli Lake. This was done without consulting local environmental activists and conservation experts who have long fought for the Lake’s survival.

Members expressed their disapproval of how crucial issues in Mysuru have been handed over to outsiders. They criticised how local problems are being exploited by political leaders for personal gain, misleading the public to satisfy their selfish needs.

Additionally, the MGP meeting was supposed to be attended by the three MLAs of Mysuru — Tanveer Sait, K. Harishgowda, and T.S. Srivatsa — but they failed to attend, offering excuses despite initially committing to participate in the discussion. Their non-participation upset MGP Members, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the attitude of the elected leaders.

Kukkarahalli Lake tender

MGP Member Nataraj, a former MUDA official, raised concerns about INTACH being awarded the contract to prepare the DPR for preserving Kukkarahalli Lake without a tender process.

MGP Founder Bhamy V. Shenoy explained that MGP, without getting involved in the formal tender process, has been assisting INTACH with all the work MGP has done in the past and has held periodic meetings during INTACH experts’ visits to Kukkarahalli Lake.

Some MGP Members have also accompanied them during drone surveys. He further mentioned that when MGP contacted the former MLA Vasu (now late) about the tendering process, he stated that under certain circumstances, a contract can be awarded without a tender.

Several justifications were provided for choosing INTACH. INTACH has prepared a DPR worth about Rs. 5 crore for cleansing the Ganges and has restored several lakes in Delhi and other cities. Recently, the Government of India asked INTACH to study and restore 100 lakes across different States.

INTACH is an NGO with former Government of India Secretaries on its board, and its current Chairman is Maj. Gen. (retd.) L.K. Gupta, making the misuse of funds by private parties unlikely.

The discussion concluded with a decision to revisit the topic after the June 22 presentation by INTACH, allowing the public to learn about their findings to save the Kukkarahalli Lake and address encroachment along the Dewan Poornaiah Canal.

Sold waste disposal tender

Regarding waste disposal, Bhamy Shenoy provided background on the process of awarding a contract to a Surat-based company to handle accumulated waste at Vidyaranyapuram. Three other bidders were rejected on what seemed like flimsy grounds, particularly Zigma.

Zigma’s website shows the successful restoration of solid waste landfill sites in Kumbakonam, Noida, Tirupati, Pallavaram, Karaikudi and ongoing projects in Vadodara, Nagpur, Guwahati, Vishakapatnam, Erode, Kollam, Puducherry and more. Its tender was rejected for not uploading the vehicle registration.

Tender rules require re-tendering if only one party remains, yet this rule was not followed when only the Surat-based company was left. “One of the aggrieved parties, M/s Jathin, filed a Court case asking to stay the work order on March 28, 2024, but did not secure a stay order. MGP has requested Mysuru’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Commissioner to revisit the tender process without waiting for the Court’s decision,” he noted.

Bhamy Shenoy discussed a letter he wrote to the Chief Minister (CM), requesting a recall of the tender process. The CM forwarded the letter to the DC and Ministry of Urban Development, but there has been  no response.