Trucks dumping trash in lakes seized; owner booked

The Bengaluru district police have filed suo motu cases against trucks dumping garbage onto the lake bed in Anugondanahalli village at the outskirts of Southeast Bengaluru. Operating for garbage contractors within the city they have been dumping filth into the Medimallasandra lake bed for the past four to five months, the police say.

“As residents are not coming forward to lodge complaints fearing the garbage mafia, we have taken suo-motu complaints to curb this menace,” said a senior police officer.

The police have registered two cases against the owners of three trucks, who are garbage contractors in the city, and their drivers. Receiving complaints from nearby residents that trucks loaded with garbage moved towards the lake at different times, the police confronted them in the act and seized the vehicles along with the leftover garbage.

“We were told the trucks use the Anugondahalli village route and head towards Doddaballapura where there is a dump yard. However to make some quick bucks the drivers cut their journeys short and dump the garbage in such secluded places,” the officer said quoting the truck owners who pleaded ignorance and blamed their drivers.

The Anugondanahalli police of the Thirumalashettihalli circle are patrolling intensely around the lake all day round to prevent the trucks from entering the lake premise.

“We have also written letters to Panchayat Development Office (PDO) Anugondanahalli about this, but the officials are not addressing the issue. So we have intensified the patrolling and seizing the trucks ourselves,” the senior police officer said.