Ujjain Kumbh: SC stays HC order on award of contract to waste management firm

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a Madhya Pradesh high court order, quashing the award of contract for collection of garbage in Ujjain to a Mumbai-based firm.

A Bench, comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh, allowed Mumbai-based firm Global Waste Management Cell Pvt Ltd to continue with its tender to collect and dispose garbage during the ongoing Ujjain kumbh.

The Apex Court passed the order on a plea by Ujjain Municipal Corporation, which had challenged the April 7 order of the High Court quashing the award of tender for collection of garbage in the holy city to a Mumbai-based firm.

The Municipal Corporation had contended that BVG India Ltd had challenged the award of the contract to Global Waste Management and the HC “erroneously” quashed the contract. 

“The quashing of the contract would have a crippling effect on Ujjain during the Simhastha and diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid, dysentery, cholera, conjunctivitis and aseptic meningitis may spread when there is such a large congregation of people without a mechanism for proper disposal of garbage,” the civic body said.

The Simhastha (Kumbh) mela began in Ujjain on April 22 and would end on May 21.