The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has fined food delivery Swiggy Rs 15,000 for violations in disposing waste outside its office building in Bengaluru.
The fine comes at a time the civic body is aiming to crack down on large waste generators with stringent imposition of waste management rules.
Speaking to TNM, Randeep Dev said that three violations were detected outside the office of Bundl Technologies Pvt Ltd, which maintains the popular food delivery app Swiggy in Devarabeesanahalli in the city.
"Waste was dumped outside the office in an incorrect manner. The waste should be held in bins which are not lined with plastic. No plastic bags should be used to dispose waste other than biomedical waste and in this case, plastic bags were used. Mixing of wet and dry waste was also observed. The waste should not be left in the open and should be handed over responsibly for its disposal," Randeep said.
Today,a #BBMP health team fined Rs15,000 @swiggy_in for throwing garbage on footpath & non-segregation in front of their office(Bundl Technologies Pvt ltd) in Bellandur ORR.
— BBMP Solid Waste Mgmt Special Commissioner (@BBMPSWMSplComm) October 22, 2019
The team also levied fine of Rs10,000 on LotusPG for non-segregation.Both are in ward no.150 #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/ktdh5ny8U4
A Swiggy spokesperson said that the company is working closely with the BBMP to resolve the issue. "As a responsible company, Swiggy is conscientious about our civic responsibility and remains committed to addressing environmental issues. We look forward to working closely with the BBMP in resolving the matter and in driving necessary awareness on the best practises to be followed amongst our partners", a statement by Swiggy said.
In Chennai, Zomato was recently fined Rs 1 lakh after its office was found to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Similarly, a fine of Rs 10,000 was also levied on Lotus PG for mixing of wet and dry waste. The PG is also in Bellandur. Randeep said that the BBMP will be strict against large-scale waste generators. "We have told our field level officers to be stricter against bigger waste generators," he added.
Moreover, food packaging waste, including that of Swiggy and Zomato deliveries, are one of the major contributors of dry waste in the city.
The fine levied on Swiggy comes a week after the Karnataka High Court directed the state government to take serious action on the disposal of waste in Bengaluru. The High Court had urged the state government to take measures against the BBMP including dissolving the BBMP council over the apathetic state of waste management in the city.