Mob sets fire to Mandur waste segregation unit

More than 100 trucks stranded as villagers pelt them with stones

The garbage imbroglio refuses to die. On Monday, residents of 18 villages surrounding the Mandur dumping yard laid a virtual siege to the area, and a 200-strong mob set the segregation unit on fire.

The wary Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike suspended transportation of waste from the City and nearly 100 trucks were stranded near the village.

The local administration was unable to find a way out of the situation even as the stranded truck drivers feared for their lives. Angry villagers reportedly pelted some trucks with stones demanding that they leave the place, but the administration has forced the drivers to stay on.

Taking cue from the protests at Mavallipura and villages around Terra Firma dumping grounds, residents of Mandur too have been up in arms against the landfill for quite some time now. Recently, when the BBMP increased the frequency of transportation to the villages, the local residents intensified their agitation.

To support the Mandur protesters, people from 10 villages joined the agitation.
On Monday, they staged a massive protest saying they feared the ill-effects of garbage pile-ups in the vicinity and demanded that the administration stop dumping garbage in their village.

According to Mandur gram panchayat member Rakesh Gowda, since 4 pm on Monday, no trucks were allowed anywhere near the vicinity. Local police officials said two fire tenders were rushed to the spot to put out the fire which engulfed the garbage processing unit at 12.30 pm.

The villagers have decided to patrol the area round-the-clock to ensure that no truck sneaks into the landfill. “We have roped in 25 villagers from each of the 18 villages to patrol the area. Patrolling will continue till the BBMP stops dumping garbage in our panchayat jurisdiction.

BBMP  officials claimed that as many as 100 lorries were stranded in the area and none have been able to dump waste at the landfill. “We are yet to analyse the implications of the issue,” said a Palike official.

Protest

Muniyamma who participated in the protest asked, “When Bangaloreans cannot live with garbage pile-ups around them for three days, how do they expect us to live with all the rubbish for years?”

Another protester claimed they were facing a lot of health hazards because of the landfill, besides the rising stray dog menace.

BBMP Commissioner Shankarlinge Gowda, who was transferred on Monday, said dumping yards were not a long-term solution and the only way to tackle waste is to set up dry waste collection centres at the ward level.