City Stares At Garbage Crisis As Monsoon Nears

Mandur villagers have threatened to launch a protest against dumping of garbage at Mandur from Sunday morning.
City Stares At Garbage Crisis As Monsoon Nears

BANGALORE: Mandur villagers have threatened to launch a protest against dumping of garbage at Mandur from Sunday morning.

They are insisting that Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stop sending garbage trucks to the landfills in their village, while the officials and elected representatives are trying hard to convince them. District Minister R Ramalinga Reddy and a team of elected representatives and officials are expected to visit Mandur on Sunday.

When the issue of dumping garbage at the landfill had become a major controversy last year, the then BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah had sought time from the villagers stating that the landfill will be used only up to June 1, 2014.

At Mandur, unscientific disposal of garbage has led to major problems that has affected the villagers’ day-to-day lives. Villagers are now insisting that the Palike shut the landfill permanently.

Rakesh Gowda, a resident of Mandur, said the BBMP authorities are inviting the villagers for a meeting at Vidhana Soudha and Palike office from the past three days. “We have decided not to go. How can they understand our problems sitting within four walls? If they call for a meeting at their place, hardly 10 villagers can attend. They should come to Mandur and see the actual problem, the smell and flies,” he said.

He, however, said that they shall allow garbage trucks to enter Mandur only till Saturday night. “BBMP had assured that they shall not send waste from June 1 onwards,” he added.

District Minister R Ramalinga Reddy confirmed that he, along with Mayor B S Sathyanarayana and BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana, is visiting Mandur on Sunday to seek more time from them. Lakshminarayana said, “We will find solutions to it and convince the villagers.” He said they are planning to send waste to landfill sites at Lakshmipura and Bingipura. “Along with this, we will look for new sites,” he said. This will lessen the burden on Mandur landfill sites, he added.

Garbage politics?

Party politics seem to be complicating matters for the BBMP which is trying to convince the villagers to allow dumping garbage. Mandur is part of Mahadevapura Assembly segment represented by BJP’s Aravind Limbavali. Sources said the MLA is against dumping garbage at the landfill after June 1.

BBMP authorities are trying to convene a meeting with villagers at Vidhana Soudha and BBMP offices from the past three days. However, Minister Reddy said they shifted the meeting venue to BMTC office in Shanthinagar. Reddy convened a meeting with Limbavali and team on Saturday morning. In a separate meeting in the afternoon, A C Srinivas of Congress, who contested against Limbavali in the election, also attended. “We have convinced both the parties and assured them of stopping the garbage trucks permanently. As the four waste-to-energy units are yet to start, we have asked them to give some more time to send waste to Mandur till those units start functioning,” he said. However, villagers said none of them attended the meeting.

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