HAL, residents play blame game over smoke issue

Residents living near Yemalur junction were irked on Monday by massive smoke erupting due to garbage burning at HAL premises.

While the residents claim that the smoke erupted due to the burning of garbage, HAL officials have told Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials that the burning was due to the fire caused by firecrackers.

“The garbage burning was spread across nearly half a kilometer inside the premises. As this is a protected area, nobody is allowed to go inside. So it was difficult for us to even reach out and complain about the problem. But this caused a lot of problem to the residents and even pets as it could cause serious health hazards,” said SV Srinivasan, a resident of Sobha Palladian apartment.

Another resident, Anil Bajpai, said that this has been going on for the past 25 days. “We have been witnessing the garbage burning in the premises for the past 20-25 days. It used to happen intermittently. But today, the intensity was large and we could not bear it,” he said.

“The soot emerging from the fire has literally occupied my garden. I have cleaned my garden three times on Monday, but it has not stopped,” added Anil.

Meanwhile, the residents posted a complaint with BBMP. Randeep D, special commissioner, solid waste management, BBMP, said, “We received the complaint and the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of Mahadevapura zone inspected the place. Though he was not allowed inside the premises initially, he will be meeting the officials on Tuesday to know what has happened. Even though HAL premises is a central government body, burning of garbage is against the rules. We will take necessary action once we hear from them."

The AEE who visited the premises said that the HAL officials are claiming that the massive smoke was due to fire from firecrackers spreading to construction debris lying around the premises. "However, we will know the actual reason only tomorrow,” he said.