Thu Mar 20 16:35:06 UTC 2025: ## Bengaluru Party Demands Audit of City’s Garbage Management Funds Amidst Proposed User Fee

**Bengaluru, March 21, 2025** – The Bengaluru Nava Nirmana Party (BNP) has demanded a public audit of the city’s ₹1,000 crore annual Solid Waste Management (SWM) fund and the ₹463 crore allocated to the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML). The party alleges a lack of transparency in how these funds are being used and claims that addressing financial leakages would eliminate the need for a proposed user fee for garbage collection.

BNP Governing Council Member Poongothai Paramasivam questioned the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)’s justification for the new fee, considering citizens already pay property tax including an SWM cess. She emphasized the need for an audit and public disclosure of SWM expenditures.

The BNP highlighted that while Swachh Survekshan guidelines permit user fees, they are not mandatory. The party also expressed concern over delayed payments to sanitation workers (pourakarmikas), urging that funds be prioritized for timely wage disbursement.

BNP General Secretary Srikanth Narasimhan criticized the BBMP’s lack of accountability in the absence of an elected council, stating that the proposed fee should not be implemented without a full audit and public consultation. The party advocates for increased transparency and accountability in the management of the city’s waste disposal funds.

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