Villagers lock up BBMP commissioner in waste plant

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner G Kumar Naik on Tuesday found himself confined to the Kannahalli garbage processing facility on Magadi Road as agitated local villagers locked up its gate for a few minutes.

The drama ensued when Naik visited the facility along with BBMP officials and media personnel to show initiatives taken by the Palike to deal with the garbage. Villagers, miffed with the olfactory and other inconvenience, then locked up the 24-acre plant and raised slogans against the Palike.

They asked Naik to stop the unit as well as the neighbouring Seegehalli waste processing plant. Some villagers even threatened to consume poison along with their families.
Kannahalli-Seegehalli Kasa Vilevari Horata Samiti president Channappa, who was  present on the spot,said they have set January 3 as the deadline for the Palike to stop garbage trucks from entering the Kannahalli unit.

“Currently, about 80-100 trucks enter both the units from more than 40 wards. Thirty villages and six panchayats fall under Seegehalli and Kannahalli. The residents are having a tough time as foul smell emanating from both the plants can be felt at a distance of five to six kilometres. The mosquito menace has also increased,” he said.

Pushpa Yogesh from Seegehalli said the local people are unable to eat properly and forced to keep their windows closed throughout the day. The authorities at Kannahalli plant, however, said they carry out regular spraying. Currently, the plant is processing about 250 tonnes of waste,the authorities added. The local people also said with the Kempegowda Nadaprabhu Layout of the Bangalore Development Authority coming up near the plants, more people are set to suffer.

Dodda Bidarakallu in Yeshwantpur Hobli, too, was on the boil. Speaking to the media, the local people there complained of leachate flowing into the nearby Lakshmipura Lake from the waste plant.

Siddaraju G K, one of the residents said: “At night, the waste water from the plant flows into the Lakshmipura Lake and the water from there in turn flows into the Thippagondanahalli reservoir.”

It was only after Naik assured the agitators that a meeting would be held soon to discuss the problems faced by the local people that the gates were opened.

All steps are being taken: Naik
The BBMP commissioner said all steps are being taken to control the odour at plants. He said: “We had to open the plants followed by the protests erupting at landfills and opposition from people there. The events at Mandur and Mavallipura landfills have instilled fear among the residents of Seegehalli, Kannahalli and Dodda Bidarakallu. But we assure them of taking all the precautionary measures. We are not allowing mixed waste to plants and we request citizens to segregate the waste.”

He also said presently about 1,200 tonnes of wet waste are being processed and in three months time, the processing capacity will be increased to 2,350 tonnes daily.
DH News Service