BENGALURU
After years of unchecked waste dumping, the city is inching towards a long-term, organised system to manage Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste. The state govt has approved three new processing plants and is working on a policy framework to regulate the collection, pricing, and disposal of construction debris. Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) said the govt is likely to soon set up a dedicated committee to finalise pricing norms for C&D waste collection and enforce compliance. The policy will spell out disposal procedures for builders and homeowners, along with applicable charges. The move comes even as the govt has cleared three new tenders to expand Bengaluru’s C&D waste-handling capacity. As per Karnataka State Pollution Control Board estimates, the city generates about 6,000 tonnes of C&D waste daily. At present, Bengaluru has only two processing plants at Kannuru and Chikkajala, with a combined capacity of 1,750 Tonnes Per Day (TPD). Chitra Civil Ventures handles the collection and transportation of debris to these facilities under three packages awarded for 15 years.New processing plants. With Chitra Civil Ventures emerging as the successful bidder for all three new plants, a single private operator will handle most of the city’s C&D waste.
The firm will also be allowed to monetise byproducts generated during processing. BSWML officials said the new facilities will come up under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with each plant having a capacity of 750 TPD, increasing the city’s total processing capacity to 4,000 TPD. The three newly approved PPP packages together involve a tipping fee of Rs 1,714.8 crore over 15 years. Separately, the collection and transportation packages linked to the existing Kannuru and Chikkajala plants are valued at Rs 1,048.2 crore for the same period. Under the PPP framework, BSWML will provide land for the plants and has tentatively identified three sites Mandur, Doddabidarkallu and Begur, allocating around seven acres each. Collection and handling charges will be paid directly by waste generators, including individual homeowners and builders. At present, we do not have a clear policy to handle construction and demolition waste. As a result, debris is being dumped illegally on vacant plots, footpaths, stormwater drains and other public spaces, a senior BSWML official said.
