Bengaluru
Bengaluru South District BJP Unit President, NR Ramesh, has called for the cessation of what he deems as redundant marshal services within the BBMP. Ramesh’s outcry questions the efficacy and expenditure on these services deemed as ‘white elephants’ by him for the civic body. The demand was articulated to DCM DK Shivakumar, Corporation Administrator Rakesh Singh, and BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath. The marshals were initially appointed to enforce strict waste segregation policies across various wards, imposing fines on those littering public spaces. Since 2017, the appointment of ex-servicemen or individuals trained by NCC has been in place for ward-level monitoring of tipper auto attendance, a responsibility overseen by the Department of Sainik Welfare & Re-settlement. The deployment spans various zones including markets like Russell, Madiwala, and Kalasipalya, alongside land filling stations. These marshals, numbering 684, are compensated at varying rates, amounting to a significant annual expenditure. Ramesh’s concerns, backed by financial figures, underline an expenditure of ₹157.19 crores over four years for marshal services. Despite this substantial investment, the corporation’s achievement in these areas has been called into question, with purported low success rates observed by Ramesh and others. The discrepancy between expenditure and effective outcomes has drawn criticism, prompting a reevaluation of the necessity and efficiency of these marshal services within the BBMP.
