Bengaluru: Opposition leader R Ashoka Wednesday alleged that the Rs 39,437-crore waste management contract awarded by the state govt to a Delhi-based firm involved kickbacks worth Rs 10,000 crore to Congress party.Ashoka told reporters that MSWS Solutions Ltd’s 30-year contract was approved despite objections raised by ministers and senior finance department officials. He alleged former CM Siddaramaiah had cleared the proposal citing directions from “above”.He claimed the govt and civic agencies currently spend Rs 1,344 crore annually on waste collection, transportation, processing, disposal and salaries in Bengaluru, and the expenditure includes Rs 514 crore on waste collection and transportation, Rs 380 crore for processing and disposal, and Rs 44 crore in salaries for around 11,000 pourakarmikas.“Earlier, local contractors handled the work through BBMP. Now, instead of the usual annual tender, a 30-year contract with a possible 5-year extension has been awarded to MSWS Solutions Ltd or its parent company, Ramky,” alleged Ashoka.He said the finance department had raised concerns over awarding both north and south packages to a single company, the lengthy contract period, and the proposed 5% annual escalation clause.“It advised reducing the period to 10 years and the escalation to 2.5%, warning that it could become a huge burden on BBMP in future,” said Ashoka, citing a letter by ACS (finance) Ritesh Kumar Singh to the CM.He also alleged Ramky had faced regulatory action in the past, and “even the World Bank had blacklisted it for fraud and violation of rules”.“In 2016, BBMP itself cancelled Ramky’s contract. Despite this, the govt of chief minister DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah have awarded the tender to the same company,” he said.Ashoka also met governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot and submitted a formal complaint seeking a detailed investigation into alleged irregularities in the tender process. There was no immediate response from the govt.