GBA Weighs Citizen Wardens, Ward-Level Plans to Fix Bengaluru's Waste System

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will examine whether citizen wardens can be introduced for solid waste management in the city, modelled on the traffic warden initiative of the Bengaluru Traffic Police.

The proposal emerged at a public consultation organised by the GBA's Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd. on Thursday, where participants discussed ways to improve source segregation, streamline garbage collection and manage waste more effectively.

Under the suggestion, wardens could help marshals plan and monitor collection and take part in awareness drives on segregation. Stakeholders proposed an honorarium for such wardens, but the GBA did not accept the idea.

Capacity gap

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda pointed to a widening mismatch between what the city produces and what its collection system can handle. Installed capacity, he said, has stayed largely unchanged for years even as waste generation has climbed sharply, and the absence of a tracking system has led to irregular collection.

Bengaluru generates roughly 6,500 tonnes of waste a day, while about 5,200 auto-tippers operate at an average capacity of around one tonne each, he said. Several of these vehicles are unfit, and all have lost their original one-tonne capacity, further widening the gap.

The Minister noted that the city's population, household count and waste output have grown substantially, while collection has continued under older contractual arrangements. New garbage collection tenders are expected to address this by requiring contractors to deploy higher-capacity vehicles, taking installed capacity beyond 9,000 tonnes.

Ward-level planning

A key gap flagged at the meeting was the lack of ward-level planning. Participants called for ward in-charges and nodal officers to improve accountability and communication, and for ward-wise performance data to be collected and evaluated so it can guide future upgrades and incentives.

They also sought generator-level mapping for micro-level data and GPS devices on all collection vehicles to enable tracking. The discussion covered diversifying vehicle sizes so that narrow roads and areas with limited road infrastructure are served, along with strategically located waste transfer stations, segregation capacity studies and Reuse-Repair-Recycle centres.

Stakeholders further demanded a task force, including volunteer participation and communication, to implement the roadmap.

Wrapping up the meeting, Mr. Gowda said another consultation would be held after four months. The suggested roadmap would be reviewed and discussed, and feasible elements implemented, he said.

Responding to the controversy over his recent remarks on pourakarmikas, he said questioning attendance had itself become an issue, claiming absenteeism touches nearly 40% in some wards. He said he was not targeting any group, pointing out that he had also raised questions about chief engineers and the ranks below them, and recalled having worked as labour with dignity during his college years.