All eyes on BBMP budget with solid waste in focus

The budget size will be close to the same as that in the last financial year – around Rs 9,000 crore

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The city’s municipal body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), will present its budget in the first week of March. The presentation will be viewed as a crucial one as complaints over various civic amenities being provided in the city have only increased.

Occurrences of massive floods, along with the rising traffic congestion in the city remain on the forefront, even as the Assembly elections approach fast. After a number of projects announced by the central and state governments, citizens are eager to find out if the BBMP has anything in store to ease their daily grind.

Sources from the department have said that there will be a stress on Education and Health fields, while there could be a reduction of property tax. Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath has said that the government has been informed regarding these measures. The budget size will be close to the same as that in the last financial year around Rs 9,000 crore.

While there is no grant provided by the state government for the purpose of garbage disposal, the municipal body has hinted that the category may receive the highest allocation compared to the past many years. Last year, the BBMP did not even make a mention of the upgrade of dry waste collection centres (DWCCs). In 2021, it had allotted a mere Rs 5 crore for the purpose.

However, details on how these funds were used are not available in the public domain. Much research has proven that the DWCCs are an effective way to divert garbage from reaching landfills at the ward levels. Other cities have also adapted the method.

“Dry waste collection centres need to be upgraded and this also includes operational toilets and access to drinking water. In areas that do not have DWCCs, the government must allocate fund to do so,” said Pinky Chandran, an independent researcher who tracks policy and legal developments on issues related to waste management.

“The gover nment is ready to set up domestic hazardous waste facilities as mentioned in the byelaws, and this must get attention in the budget. Last year's budget allocation for decentralised composting facilities was a mere Rs 35.5 lakh. The issue here is how have they spent it and how can they increase the allocation,” she added.