JOIN USPolitics playing its part in garbage mess
It is now becoming clear that at least three City MLAs and an MP have contributed a lot to aggravate the garbage mess. Many corporators say that the elected representatives have vehemently opposed dumping of garbage in their constituencies, with an eye on upcoming elections.
The MLAs and the MP have been accused of not co-operating with the BBMP, which is struggling to find a landfill to dump the garbage. The BBMP faced stiff opposition from residents of the area in at least four landfills in the last fortnight. While two of them including Mandur are located in Mahadevpura, one each is located in Anekal and Yelahanka.
On Wednesday, Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath appealed to the mayor to stop dumping of garbage in his constituency. People from his constituency and Gram Panchayat members accompanied Vishwanath when he met the Mayor. His argument: There is a lot of development projects, including the connecting route via Yelahanka to the BIA and the proposed BDA Layouts, for which land has been acquired.
“With such development projects, a dumping yard will not be acceptable,” Vishwanath told the mayor.
Meanwhile, corporators belonging to BJP themselves blame their MLA and minister Aravind Limbavali for stirring the emotions of the people in Mandur and coaxing them to oppose dumping of garbage in their backyard. Sources in the Palike believe that Limbavali fuelled the agitation in Mandur with a view to appease the voters in his constituency rather than helping to solve the garbage crisis.
The land near Muthyalamadu in Anekal district has remained unused since it was handed over by the Revenue department to the Palike. The BBMP had plans of using the land as a dump yard. Sources said interference by Minister for Prisons and Social Welfare, A Narayanswamy, who is a local MLA, refused to give his approval to dump garbage on a 200-acre wasteland located 70 kilometre from the City.
“There has to be some solution to the garbage problem. The Mandur landfill has been in existence for over six years now. We cannot stop dumping of garbage all of a sudden.
Limbavali, Narayanswamy or any other MLA cannot simply object to this,” said a senior BJP corporator. BJP corporators also blamed Chikkaballapur MP, Veerappa Moily, for not allowing dumping of waste in his constituency.