Mandur villagers call for full stop to waste dumping

Anger of Mandur villagers boiled over on Sunday as they staged a protest early morning on Byappanahalli Road, 1.5 km away from the landfill, urging the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to stop dumping garbage near their village.

Holding placards, the villagers shouted slogans against the BBMP for not taking any action in solving the garbage crisis. They said that according to an agreement the civic agency has reached with the local residents last year, garbage should not be dumped at the Mandur landfill from June 1, 2014. 

The villagers had come fully prepared and some even carried pesticide bottles with them to threaten suicide. The protesters stopped the garbage trucks from entering the village from 6 am. A huge posse of police personnel was deployed to prevent any untoward situation.

High drama unfolded when local MLA Arvind Limbavali, reached the place around 11:30 am. A group of protesters heckled him. 

Soon, differences emerged among the villagers. While one group supported the MLA, the other group raised its voice against him and said he has been only making false assurances. 

Sources said Bangalore In-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy has instructed the Palike not to send any garbage trucks to Mandur on Sunday night citing that villagers were agitated. Villagers said they will continue the protest till the BBMP stops sending the trucks. 

Chandrasekhar Acharya, a resident of village, said there is no use of meeting Palike officials as the situation continues to be the same. He told Deccan Herald: “We continue to suffer and the civic body just gives us the promises. I have lost hope.”

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader Ravikrishna Reddy also joined the protesters. He said Palike officials and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should some to the spot and address their concerns.

BBMP Commissioner M Laxminarayana, Mayor B S Satyanarayana and Ramalinga Reddy who were supposed to arrive at 11 am for a meeting with the villagers, turned up an hour late. 

Later, the elected representatives went to the landfill under police protection as irate villagers had confronted them when they arrived at the venue of the protest.