JOIN USIn the name of ridding Bangalore of its mounting garbage problem, senior officials are planning yet another trip to Salem in Tamil Nadu. This will be their third trip in as many years.
As if the lessons learnt in Israel, Mumbai, Delhi, Puducherry, Pune and Salem were not enough, the mayor and the District In- charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy will go on a “study tour” to Salem. They will be accompanied by a team of at least 100 people comprising ministers, MLAs, corporators and mediapersons.
Mayor B S Sathyanarayana is quite enthusiastic about the trip.
“The trip is in the interest of Bangalore. We want to retain its position as a clean and green city,” he said.
The delegation is likely to leave for Salem on September 24.
“We will chalk out a plan on September 18 and seek the consent of corporators to join us in our trip. We may have to hire at least four buses, with one bus for mediapersons,” said the mayor.
Exactly a year ago, a team led by erstwhile urban development minister S Suresh Kumar had visited Salem to get lessons in waste management. Three years ago, erstwhile mayor of Bangalore S K Nataraj also visited Salem. During his tenure, a team of corporators had visited Mumbai, Pune, Nasik and Puducherry to study garbage disposal and bio-methanisation plants there. The team even visited the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to learn ways to generate power and manure from waste.
Two years ago, a BBMP delegation led by erstwhile deputy mayor S Harish had visited Israel to learn about garbage disposal through water technology. Harish said: “The technology is very useful for Bangalore.”
From Puducherry, the BBMP delegation learnt how to produce crude oil from plastic waste. The proposal has not yet seen the light of the day, even after two years of the “study tour.”