Palike has a solid waste problem: Its engineers

By Manoj Sharma

After HC directs BBMP to submit all Environmental Engineers as Waste Plant Managers, the engineers say their case has been falsely offered

The largest problem with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) solid waste management vegetation isn't their efficiency but their plant managers. In the newest replace at the foul mess that is the solid waste management issue, Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner (SWM), BBMP, has said that waste management in the city has been affected on account of a lack of appropriately qualified other folks to take care of it. He is referring to a unique conundrum that the BBMP unearths itself in. It involves officers who have been once employed as Environmental Engineers to regulate solid waste, but who are now working in departments corresponding to Town Planning, Traffic Engineering Cell and Road Widening.

Laying the blame squarely at the lack of Environmental Engineers to efficiently run solid waste management, the Joint Commissioner, SWM, filed a testimony in court stating that Environmental Engineers who have been assigned to various departments, be posted to the SWM division. The affidavit learn: “Every plant will have to have an Environmental Engineer as a plant supervisor. Some of the Environmental Engineers/Chemical Engineers in the rank of Assistant Engineers (AE), Assistant Executive Engineers (AEE) and Executive Engineers (EE) are working with other unconnected departments like Town Planning, Traffic Engineering Cell, Road Widening and Road Infrastructure, Storm Water Drain etc… which is unconnected to their basic qualifications underneath which they're appointed / absorbed into the corporation. They can be in an instant withdrawn from such posts and posted solely to the place of business of the Joint Commissioner (SWM) and as Managers of those vegetation.’’

The directive of the Karnataka HC dated April 6th, ordering all Environmental Engineers to be posted as Waste Plant Managers at waste processing devices, has now not gone down neatly with the engineers. And there’s a back story to this.

Back to BMP

These Environment Engineers have been appointed in 2005 through the Department of Municipal Administration for the then City Municipal Councils (CMCs) like Byatarayanapura, Yelahanka, Dasarahalli, RR Nagara, Kengeri, Bomanahalli and Mahadevapura. The Environment Engineers have been in command of Solid Waste Management vegetation in the CMCs and would oversee collection, transportation and disposal of garbage, besides establishing SHGs to assemble garbage.

When the CMCs merged with the BBMP in August 2007, these Environmental Engineers were given the positions of Assistant Executive Engineers (AEE) underneath a central authority order, says a supply familiar with the issue.

Said the BBMP respectable: “There is not any such submit as ‘Environmental Engineer’ in the BBMP. They have been once Environmental Engineers ahead of the CMC merged with the BBMP after which they were given the positions of AEE underneath the government order. Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Officers were given the placement of Assistant Revenue Officers (ARO) in BBMP.

Later in 2013, they have been additionally promoted as Executive Engineers at various departments of the BBMP. Few of the engineers went to court difficult the appointment of those Environmental Engineers as AEE, but the Court upheld the government’s order and requested the BBMP to appoint them as the AEE to various departments within the BBMP and they're recently working as EEs (Executive Engineers) in various departments within the BBMP,” he said.

An order copy of BBMP written in 2011 reads: “As in step with the government order dated 10/01/2011, 5 Environmental Engineers who've merged with the BBMP will likely be appointed as Assistant Engineers effectively from 16/01/2007.”

The HC directive, recalling all erstwhile Environment Engineers to waste management vegetation isn't sitting neatly with them, since they've, over the years, been promoted. Says a BBMP respectable: “The executive has already considered us eligible for promotions underneath the Cadre and Recruitment (C&R) regulations. We have now not come illegally. The affidavit has now not mentioned the background but has just said that we are assigned to various departments, now not hooked up with our qualifications.

Environmental engineers additionally find out about civil engineering and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in its letter to the government has really useful that environmental engineers are eligible for civil engineering works. Then how is a person who isn't conscious about this, making such claims?’’

Another respectable from BBMP said: “How can the JC, without bringing it to the awareness of the Commissioner, file a testimony? The JC of any division has no right to recommend such administrative issues, most effective the Commissioner can do it. This affidavit has misled the court. There aren't any environmental engineers in the Palike, but there are engineers working for various departments as in step with the C&R regulations and all of them are promoted to be the Executive Engineers as in step with legislation or even as in step with the government order.”

However, in 2012, a gaggle of engineers filed a petition in the High Court difficult the order of the government that the environmental engineers be handled as Assistant Civil Engineers. The Court in its order of 22/08/2012 rejected the petition filed through engineers saying that, “The environmental engineers are appointed even ahead of the petition filed additionally they're seniors than the petitioner. Respondents fulfil all of the standards underneath executive order,” it learn. The court further opined, “Hence there is not any error in merging environmental engineers and equating them on par with civil engineers.”

But the Joint Commissioner is company that erstwhile Environmental Engineers should obey the court order and go back to their posts as Plant managers. “The Plant Manager’s submit is identical to an Executive Engineer’s submit. In reality, the submit is like being a Joint Commissioner at a specific plant. Thus changing into a Plant Manager isn't like maintaining an Assistant Executive Engineer’s submit,” he said.