Citizens move NGT to get garbage cleared from vacant BDA plot

Frustrated by the lack of coordination between the BBMP and the BDA, residents of OMBR Layout moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to get garbage cleared from a BDA-owned empty plot.

OMBR Layout residents M D Raju and R Krishnaveni filed separate petitions before the NGT’s southern bench, seeking clearance of the garbage piling in the 300 sq ft vacant plot belonging to the Bangalore Development Authority. The garbage has been dumped by unknown people.

Before the NGT, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said the BDA should have taken steps to prevent its land from becoming a dumping yard. Maintaining the property, on the other hand, is turning out to be difficult for the BDA.

Replying to a notice, the BDA executive engineer recently filed an affidavit before the NGT asking for the disposal of one of the petitions.

“This plot is too small to be sold independently. The owner of the adjacent plot can come forward to buy it. Since there is no such proposal, we are facing cases before different authorities,” a BDA official said.

Another official said that failure of the BBMP and BDA to coordinate on minor issues has led to time and resource wastage.

“Lakhs of rupees have been spent on a matter at time civic problems are choking the city,” the official said.