Garbage: No end in sight

The  garbage crisis in the City showed no signs of waning on Wednesday, as Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy agreed to stop completely garbage dumping in the Mavallipura landfill.

Following the blockade by residents of 18 villages surrounding the landfill, and yielding to pressure from the Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath, the BBMP had to relent and announced the virtual shutdown following a proposal passed by the Palike Council.

“I agree that we cannot continue to keep the landfill functional. We will look at the possibility of ending the contract with Ramky and initiate action against them,” he said.

At a meeting which saw the conspicuous absence of the newly-appointed BBMP Commissioner, Rajneesh Goel, who was away at the behest of the Chief Minister in Vidhana Soudha, citizens vented their angst at the lax approach in providing amenities.

‘Backed’ by Vishwanath and various other organisations, including the Environment Support Group (ESG), the residents demanded that the Palike provide the villages with all the possible civic amenities for the trouble they have undergone while trying to make a life around the landfill.

The villagers claimed that as much 40 lakh tonne of garbage is still lying in the Mavallipura landfill, apart from 18 lakh tonne of waste allegedly within the adjoining forest land.

“We demand that the BBMP take immediate action in trying to clear the waste from the vicnity and send them elsewhere. The garbage in Mavallipura has raised several life threatning concerns for us,” said Gram Panchayat member from Mavallipura, Srinivas. The villagers placed a 11 point memorandum with the BBMP to provide them immediate relief.

As a result, it was decided to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Vishwanath and the villagers to decide on the possible relief measures for the villagers.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka on Wednesday blamed the previous governments for the present garbage disposal problem haunting Bangalore. Speaking at a programme organised by the City BJP to launch its membership drive, Ashoka, who is also incharge minister of Bangalore said previous governments need to have taken adequate precautionary measures while setting up garbage dumps. He expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved within the next few days.