BENGALURU: Upalokayukta Justice KN Phaneendra on Saturday visited BBMP’s solid waste management plant in Banashankari 6th Stage and gave a 45-day ultimatum to the BBMP and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to act on the violations.
Following the TNIE report dated April 29 — “BBMP’s solid waste management plant torments Banashankari residents” — the Upalokayukta had taken a suo motu case.
After inspecting the plant for nearly two hours, Justice Phaneendra identified several violations, including lack of a buffer zone, leachate treatment facility, effective odour-control measures and a functional odometer. He also noted that the BBMP, which is supposed to receive segregated waste, is instead receiving mixed waste.
He instructed BBMP officials to install a board at the entrance of the processing unit. It should display the facility’s name and address, the owner’s contact details, the authorisation number and its validity, the environmental clearance number and its validity, and the quantity of waste processed at the end of each month.
Residents told TNIE that despite regularly filing complaints, authorities only issue a token number without taking further action. They mentioned that at least two garbage trucks arrive at the unit every 10 minutes, delivering collected waste. However, they hope that the inspection will lead to meaningful action.
The BDA layout has numerous houses within a kilometre of the SWM plant established by the BBMP in 2015. The facility, covering 9.5 acres, processes up to 200 tonnes of waste. The foul odour from the plant, which spreads up to 5 km , has impacted five schools, a college, and nearby villages. As per the residents, 25 families have relocated from the area.
Justice Phaneendra said he will revisit the plant on the 46th day to assess the situation.