The Karnataka High Court has issued a major directive mandating the establishment of a technology-driven solid-waste-management (SWM) framework in Bengaluru. The Bench led by Justice Suraj Govindaraj described the sprawling metropolis as exhibiting a “chronic issue of garbage blackspots”, noting that authorised waste-dumping had not been addressed effectively for far too long and now posed a significant threat to public health and the urban environment. The Court held that managing solid waste is not merely a “statutory duty” of municipal authorities but a constitutional obligation intimately linked to the right to a clean, hygienic, and dignified environment under Article 21.
In a writ petition challenging a tender invitation for 33 SWM packages, the Court declined to disturb the procurement process but used the opportunity to issue proactive directions to overhaul the SWM regime. Key among these are: the creation of a single, unified integrated digital platform for waste-management governance, to be led by the Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), supported by zonal commissioners and the e-Governance department; real-time CCTV surveillance to feed live data into the system; a mobile application for citizens to report illegal dumping with geo-tagged photographs and track resolution; live vehicle-tracking dashboards for waste-collection vehicles with Estimated Time of Arrival indicators; public performance score-cards for each ward and contractor (displaying collection coverage, segregation rates, blackspot clearances, grievance resolution time); and a dedicated grievance redressal module that only closes a ticket after complainant confirmation.
The Court mandated constitution within fifteen (15) days of a “Nodal Oversight and Committee for SWM Surveillance”, to be convened by the Chief Secretary. It also directed that within ninety (90) days this committee frame and notify a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the surveillance system, ensuring compliance with privacy principles and public-access transparency. Additionally, an online portal and helpline must be established within 120 days for citizens’ ease of access. The judicial view was clear: unless public infrastructure for waste-management becomes technologically advanced, transparent, accountable and citizen-enabled, the city will continue to suffer environmental and public-health losses.
This ruling underscores the Court’s commitment to judicial intervention in urban infrastructure and environmental governance. It signals that municipal authorities cannot defer their duties on waste-management; failure is no longer just administrative neglect but a violation of constitutional rights. By emphasising the link between sanitation infrastructure, citizen dignity and health, the Karnataka High Court has set a template for smart, accountable urban governance in large Indian cities.
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