Overview
- The state Cabinet cleared a Greater Bengaluru Authority plan to rent 46 mechanical road-sweeping machines for about ₹613 crore across seven years.
- Opposition leaders and residents denounced the outlay as excessive, with Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje estimating that buying the machines plus seven years of staffing and maintenance would total roughly ₹60–70 crore.
- Law Minister H.K. Patil said the five newly formed municipal corporations will fund the contract, with machines allocated across all zones.
- An earlier proposal sought 59 machines for about ₹781 crore before the Urban Development Department reduced the count to 46, despite technical committees recommending outright purchase to avoid high rental costs.
- Resident groups questioned calculations that imply about ₹2 crore per machine per year and circulated satirical posts, also raising concerns about potential underuse given the city’s existing fleet.