Bengaluru: A dry waste collection centre (DWCC) at Panathur, built around two years ago, remains non-functional due to pending electricity dues of nearly Rs 1 crore of another facility in the same area. With no power connection, the fully built facility was not inaugurated, forcing garbage transfer to take place on a busy public road, resulting in foul odour, leachate spilling onto the road, and inconvenience to commuters.The new DWCC with an attached transfer station at Panathur, created to handle door-to-door collected waste in a scientific manner, falls under the Bengaluru East city corporation. A copy of the electricity bill issued by Bescom shows arrears close to Rs 1 crore linked to another Panathur facility, following which the supply was cut.A Bangalore Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) engineer confirmed that the facility was not inaugurated due to electricity-related issues.“There are pending electricity dues linked to another facility in the same area, with outstanding bills close to Rs 1 crore. With dues unpaid, the power supply was cut, affecting both facilities,” the engineer said.Officials said they are trying to understand why such a hefty pending bill accumulated and why it was not cleared. Frequent transfers of engineers and officers over the years are believed to have contributed to the dues.According to the officials, discussions are ongoing on whether the dues should be cleared by BSWML or the East corporation.Meanwhile, residents stated that inter-departmental disputes should not cost public convenience.The Panathur facility was designed to function as both a DWCC and a transfer station — a crucial component of Bengaluru’s solid waste management chain. Ideally, wet waste collected from households is to be transferred from tippers to larger trucks within the facility and sent to landfills, while dry waste is retained and processed at the centre. With the facility shut, residents say these operations are taking place in the open.“This is nothing but a waste of citizens’ money. BSWML can’t even use a facility it built,” said Anjali, a Whitefield resident who tracked the issue. “It is sickening to see garbage being sorted on the road… Even if there are issues, how long does it take to fix them and start using the facility? Now the walls and paint will peel, and doors and locks will rust,” she said.The facility is situated on a busy road connecting Varthur, Gunjur, Panathur, Kadubeesanahalli, and the Outer Ring Road. “The place is stinking even if car windows are shut, and one can’t pass through the road comfortably,” said Pavitra Holla, another resident.
