Bengaluru’s garbage crisis could worsen after waste-disposal contractors warned that they may stop operating vehicles from October 26, prompting Opposition Leader R Ashoka to accuse the Karnataka government of failing to resolve disputes over payments, fuel costs and worker dues.
Ashoka raised the issue in a Facebook post that referred to a Prajavani report on garbage accumulating on roads across the city. He criticised Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, saying that piles of decomposing flowers, banana stems and household waste remained on roads days after Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami.
According to Ashoka’s statement, the accumulated waste has created foul-smelling conditions in which residents are covering their noses while walking through affected areas. He questioned the government’s claims around “Brand Bengaluru” and said the city’s basic waste collection and disposal services were under strain.
Ashoka said the disruption had not emerged suddenly and alleged that a dispute between officials and contractors had continued for about three months. He accused the government of allowing the problem to worsen before responding to its effects on residents.
A central issue raised in the report is the rate at which contractors are expected to operate waste-collection vehicles. Ashoka said the rates were fixed in 2017, when diesel cost about ₹66 a litre, and questioned how contractors could meet current fuel expenses at those rates. He also referred to pending concerns over revised worker wages, employee provident fund and Employees’ State Insurance payments.
The Opposition leader further alleged that contractors were required to visit officials’ offices for 25 to 30 days even to secure payment of smaller bills. He said delays in addressing these issues had affected the wider waste-management system. The report also said contractors had been warned that the Essential Services Maintenance Act could be used if they disrupted operations.
The dispute has placed the city’s waste collection network under additional pressure. Any interruption to vehicle operations could affect the movement of accumulated waste from residential areas and roads, although the report does not provide an estimate of the number of vehicles involved or the locations that may be affected.
Ashoka urged the state government to begin immediate talks with contractors, settle outstanding issues and ensure that waste disposal continues. He said the administration should address the operational dispute before the situation worsens. The report does not include a response from the Chief Minister’s office, the minister named by Ashoka, or the concerned municipal authorities.
