After splitting BBMP, BSWML to independently handle waste in Bengaluru

BSWML will oversee waste management operations across all corporations, much like how water and sewerage services are managed city-wide by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
| Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain

After the formation of multiple corporations and the establishment of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to coordinate among them, the responsibility for door-to-door waste collection and the integrated solid waste management system in Bengaluru will be handled directly by the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML).

The designated government company will oversee waste management operations across all corporations, much like how water and sewerage services are managed city-wide by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

Currently, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is in a transition phase. Until new boundaries for the corporations are officially finalised, no fresh tenders for waste management services will be floated, sources said.

According to officials, several rounds of meetings with stakeholders and civic administrators are underway to deliberate on the number of corporations to be created. Sources indicate that authorities are considering dividing BBMP into anywhere between three and five corporations to streamline governance.

In the meantime, sections of civil society are preparing to challenge the constitutional validity of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, in court, raising questions about the broader implications of the restructuring and formation of GBA.

A senior BBMP official told The Hindu that the BSWML will independently handle critical functions such as door-to-door waste collection, transportation, and processing by engaging contractors and companies. Payments to these service providers will be directly handled by BSWML. However, the newly-formed corporations will remain responsible for the payment of salaries to poura karmikas who are employed under the direct payment system.

Recently, BBMP introduced a user fee for waste collection, which is now bundled with property tax. After the corporations are formally established, the same system will continue, with user fee collection being transferred to a dedicated escrow account managed by BSWML.

Presently, the estimated revenue from user fees stands at around ₹750 crore, a figure expected to increase as the GBA’s jurisdiction will expand. Officials noted that this revenue will be crucial for funding payments to contractors and companies managing the city’s waste management operations.