BANGALORE: Residents of Mandur are intensifying their agitation against dumping of the city’s garbage in the landfills near the village.
They have now decided to stop garbage trucks near K R Puram as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been clamped within 5-km radius of the village.
Shivaji Rao, a resident of Mandur, said, “Let them (BBMP) keep their garbage with them or let Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Mayor B S Sathyanarayana and BBMP Commissioner come and stay here.”
The prohibitory orders were imposed on June 3 up to June 6 and later extended to June 10.
The villagers, who held a meeting with freedom fighter H S Doreswamy, also suggested that BBMP corporators should stay at Mandur for a day to understand their problems.
Rao said the prohibitory orders are limited to 5-km radius from Mandur and the villagers are planning to stop garbage trucks at KR Puram, Bhatrahalli, Avalahalli, Meddahalli and other routes which connect Mandur to Bangalore.
“We are also planning to protest at BBMP head office and Vidhana Soudha, “ he added.
‘HDK Should Not Politicise the Issue’
The villagers met Doreswamy at Vallabh Niketan near Gandhi Bhavan Kumarapark on Sunday and said the previous BJP government had also failed to address the issue and the Congress is doing the same by seeking more time.
Earlier, the BBMP had invited Doreswamy to see the proposals to address the issue. The palike said it had roped in MSGP, Sattarem, Nobel Exchange and Essel Group to treat and process waste at different places. They, however, will take six months to start operation, it claimed.
“The representatives of the companies also attended the meeting. A Japan-based firm wants to make brick from waste and a Bombay-based firm is ready to generate power and convert waste into manure. The projects look feasible,” Doreswamy said.
“However, clamping prohibitory orders to facilitate dumping of waste has to be lifted. I urge Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to tell the Bangalore Urban District In-Charge Minister R Ramalinga Reddy to stop resorting to such measures to suppress the villagers,” Doreswamy stated.
He said the villagers have told him that former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will join the agitation. “My appeal to him is to try to address the issue and not politicise it. I have asked the villagers to enlist people from surrounding village to take part in Sathyagraha against Section 144,’’ he said.
BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana said the civic body expects cooperation from villagers so that it can reciprocate in a similar manner.
At present, the BBMP is taking police assistance and dumping the waste at Mandur amid protest from villagers. Lakshminarayana hoped that the villagers will agree and the documents of commitment have been shown to local MLA Aravind Limbavali. “We will continue to persuade the villagers and the problem will be solved,” he said.
Limbavali said the villagers are not coming as a unit. “Only a few people want to discuss the issue,” he said and added that the process of setting up waste treatment plants has begun. “I have seen the documents,” he claimed.
He also said he needs an answer from the BBMP on how it will reduce the garbage dumping and treat the existing 25 lakh tonnes of waste at Mandur.
When Express contacted Minister Ramalinga Reddy, he refused to comment on the issue.
‘Chest Infection Cases on the Rise’
Bangalore: The garbage crisis in the city seems to be complicating the condition of people suffering from respiratory ailments. “Chest infection is on the rise and for people with Asthma, it becomes difficult because of frequent attacks with high air pollution and the ensuing garbage problem,” Chief Pulmonologist of Vikram Hospital Dr K S Satish said. The city has seen 30 per cent rise in Asthma cases and one in four people suffer from chest-related diseases, he said at the inauguration of continuous medical education (CME) programme organised by Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Bangalore Chapter here on Sunday. Medical Director and Consultant Urologist of the hospital Dr I R Ravish advised people above 50 years to go for regular check-ups to prevent any complications to age-related ailments.