BENGALURU: The residents of Chikkanagamangala protested against the BBMP again, as leachate allegedly started flowing out of a waste management plant on Friday night. The residents blocked the entry of garbage trucks into the plant by squatting on the road and burning tyres on Saturday morning, forcing the police to step in.
Pranay Dubey, president of resident welfare association Electronics City Rising, said, “We noticed black water with leachate flowing out of the main gate of the solid waste management plant in Chikkanagamanagala on Friday night. We immediately alerted the locals, the BBMP and the police. The BBMP said it was not leachate and promised us to look into the matter,” he said.
Around 40,000 families stay around the plant. The locals said that normally, a foul smell emanates from the site. But it became stronger after the leak. They said the lake and farms in the vicinity too get contaminated because of the plant and the government is yet to address the issue.“What happened to the claim that local communities should manage their own garbage? Eight months ago, the government and NGT solid waste management committee had assured us that the issue of stench would be addressed, but nothing has happened.
Also if it is a waste processing plant, why is waste being dumped in the pits nearby,” asked RWA members. Venkatesh G, a villager said, “Last night, we saw 15 people enter the plant after a complaint was raised. Waste from Bengaluru is being dumped in our neighbourhood.” BBMP chief engineer, SWM, South, Vishwanath said, “It was not leachate but water overflowing from the abandoned quarry pits. Sand has been placed to stop the flow.
It was an old abandoned quarry spread across 23 acres which has been converted into a waste-to-energy plant. The locals do not want the plant and are protesting.” Another BBMP official said that the government had signed an MoU with a French company to set up a waste-to-energy plant and the work will start by the year-end. Only a portion of the plant is now being used to process waste and covert to manure.