When trash dealt a blow to City's image

The City found itself in a garbage conundrum, even as Palike bigwigs were busy battling BMTF

The year 2012 will be remembered most for the ugly transformation of the Garden City into the Garbage City, thanks to vested interests, indifferent citizens and the administrative breakdown in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.

Amid the bureaucratic failure leading to chaos in the BBMP, the year also saw the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) registering cases against many prominent figures - Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka, Law and Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar, Mayor Venkatesh Murthy and senior bureaucrats like A M Shivakumar and V P Baligar.

The year 2012 was full of turbulence for BBMP as one can assess from the fact that the civic agency saw three commissioners - M K Shankarlinge Gowda, Rajneesh Goel and finally Siddaiah.

The beginning of the year saw BBMP recovering from the aftershocks of the Rs 1,539-crore fake bill scam that rocked the civic agency towards the end of 2011.
The strategy of bringing in Shankarlinge Gowda worked well for the government as the situation came well under control.

Short-lived relief

However, the relief for the Palike was short-lived. On July 12, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board dropped a bombshell by ordering that the Mavallipura landfill be shut down. The closure resulted in additional burden of garbage on the two other landfills - at Mandur and Gundlahalli, off Doddaballapur. Not prepared to take the extra load of garbage, the villagers living around the Terra Firma landfill at Gundlahalli staged violent protests and stopped trucks from dumping waste in their backyard.

On August 17, the dumping was completely stopped, pushing the civic agency into a severe chaos. A week later, a similar protest broke out in Mandur, resulting in a huge pile-up of waste across the City. The uncleared filth left the City reeking.

Due to the unprecedented garbage crisis, Shankarlinge Gowda was shunted out as the commissioner and Rajneesh Goel was brought in. He took certain measures to tackle the garbage crisis. But, in the process of ridding the City of the old garbage mafia, new ones took over as new garbage contracts were floated.

Amid the seemingly unending garbage crisis, Goel went (or was sent?) on a 15-day leave, while the government brought back Siddaiah as the 'in-charge' commissioner of BBMP, a year after removing him unceremoniously for exposing the fake bill scam.
While the BBMP became weaker due to the unholy nexus of politicians, officials and contractors, the BMTF grew stronger to such an extent that the police establishment did not even spare Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka, who holds the home portfolio, under which police department comes.

Cases registered

The BMTF registered cases against many BBMP engineers in connection with building plan violations. As the engineers ‘complained’ to their political bosses, the government ordered the transfer of BMTF Additional Director General of Police, Dr R P Sharma, on August 14. However, two days later, Dr Sharma got a stay from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on his transfer. The alleged violations in Dr Sharma's building at Doddagubbi was cited as a basis for his transfer, but the CAT’S Judicial Member ripped through the argument.

Emboldened, Dr Sharma took the government head-on. The BMTF led by him registered a case of forgery against Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy, his wife, four corporators and some of their supporters. Since Ashoka was instrumental in allotting land to Murthy, his wife and others, the BMTF registered a case against him also.

A few months later, the BMTF registered a case against Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar and former housing minister Krishnaiah Setty for returning land belonging to the Karnataka Slum Development Board to the brother of an RSS functionary, which was acquired from him under the Karnataka Urban Land Ceiling Act.

Beyond permissible limit

Days later, the BMTF registered cases against BDA and BBMP officials for carrying out illegal road widening work on the Hennur-Hulimavu Road, to legalise the construction of a multi-storey apartment by a leading developer of the country. The apartment had come up way beyond the permissible limit.

Milestones

July 12

Mavallipura landfill closed after villagers refused to allow the BBMP to dump waste.

August 14

R P Sharma, ADGP of Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force, transferred.

August 17

Terra Firma landfill at Gundlahalli closed, following public outcry

September 5

Central Administrative Tribunal stays Sharma’s transfer