Amid repeated diesel and petrol price hikes, and the State government’s recent notification increasing minimum wages by nearly 60%, garbage contractors, who have not been paid since January, warned that waste collection services across Bengaluru could be halted anytime soon.

Arguing that services have become financially unviable to continue, contractors said they are “no longer interested” in continuing as rising fuel prices, wage costs and mounting operational expenses are pushing them into severe losses. They said that despite repeated representations with the authorities concerned, pending dues remain unpaid. 

Contractors also claimed garbage collection in several parts of the city has already become irregular as workers are unwilling to continue without salaries and contractors are unable to sustain daily operations. “We cannot keep asking workers to continue when payments themselves are stuck,” contractors said. 

In this backdrop, the Bangalore Mahanagara Swachathe Matthu Lorry Malikara Hagoo Guthigedarara Sangha said it would meet Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao this week. The association’s general secretary S.N. Balasubramaniam alleged that Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) Chief Executive Officer Karee Gowda had consistently ignored contractors’ concerns, forcing them to approach higher authorities directly. 

“We have been reduced to asking households for money just to survive,” said Mahadev, a garbage collector. “Earlier, some residents used to help us, but now many think we are lying or using the money for alcohol. Not even a rupee is coming,” he said, adding that several garbage collectors have already left the work and are now depending on collecting scrap and plastic waste to manage their day-to-day survival. 

Contractors pointed out that when payment rates for auto-tipper drivers and helpers were fixed in 2017-18, diesel prices were around ₹68 per litre. Since then, they said, diesel prices have risen by more than ₹26 per litre, while wages and maintenance costs have also sharply increased. 

Contractors said that the sharp increase in minimum wages is welcomed, but argued that while salaries have gone up by nearly 60%, their payments from the civic body remain unchanged and pending, making it impossible to continue services without running into heavy losses. 

Mr. Karee Gowda was unavailable for comment.