Solid waste management park named after Ananth Kumar

A solid waste management park, considered India's first, located in BBMP's HSR Park has been christened 'Ananthanavana' in memory of the late Union minister, Ananth Kumar.

The SwachaGraha Kalika Kendra (solid waste management park) was thrown open to the public on Saturday in the presence of Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun, Deputy Mayor Bhadre Gowda and local MLA Sathish Reddy, among others.

The kendra has 20 composting models, including a fully functional biogas unit. This is part of a citywide awareness campaign called SwachaGraha, initiated by the Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), to decentralise waste management. The kendra is built using funds from MLA Reddy.

"We've planned workshops on different composting methods for the residents of HSR Layout and schoolchildren. The park will be maintained with CSR funds," said Shanti T, a member of SWMRT.

SWMRT members and other vendors who displayed their products in the park claimed that they did not receive government assistance to set up the facility.

Shanti urged the mayor to send notifications to the residents' welfare associations, asking them to visit the park and participate in the learning programmes and workshops based on house and community waste composting. Suitably impressed, Mayor Gangambike assured that funds will be allotted in the next budget for dry and wet community waste composting. "We should involve school and college students in the composting projects. We'll announce funds for composting separately in the next budget," the mayor said.

An SWMRT member, Vani Murthy, explained vermi composting by earthworms to the mayor and others during the inauguration. When asked to hold the soil containing earthworms, the mayor hesitated a bit, but eventually accepted with a smile.