Bengaluru: Rs 100-cr waste facilities planned on Kogilu site cleared of encroachments

Bengaluru: A 50-tonne biomethanisation unit and two separate plants for processing animal and sanitary waste are among the major projects proposed on a 14-acre site in Kogilu Layout, which witnessed the eviction of 167 unauthorised houses in mid-December.

Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML), which is investing around Rs 100 crore in the project, is already in possession of nine acres of the land.

The controversy erupted over the demolition of permanent sheds and houses on the remaining five acres of public land, where nearly 500 people were reportedly living without valid titles.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar alleged that a few miscreants had collected between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh from several families and allowed them to construct houses on government land. "We will identify those involved and initiate action," he said, defending the demolition of the unauthorised structures.

Officials said the 14-acre parcel, part of Survey Number 99 of Kogilu village, is government gomala land and forms part of a larger extent of 57 acres and five guntas. The land was handed over to the then Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in November 2014 for setting up a solid waste processing facility.

They said a portion of the land was earlier an abandoned quarry and had been used for dumping construction debris. After the site was levelled, illegal constructions began to come up, as reflected in Google satellite images from 2019.

In an eviction drive on December 20, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) cleared around 120 unauthorised buildings and 80 to 90 sheds erected illegally on the five-acre portion.

Officials maintained that the evictions were carried out on legally allotted land and that no title deeds, allotment orders or ownership documents had been issued by the tahsildar’s office in Yelahanka taluk for the structures removed. They said the action was in accordance with government orders and prevailing rules.

They also said three rehabilitation centres have been set up for the evicted families, though some have refused to move to these facilities.

However, activists working with the displaced families criticised the eviction, saying the government should have adopted a more humane approach, especially given the cold weather currently gripping the city.

Project highlights

Biomethanisation plant: 50 tonnes
Animal waste rendering plant: 4 tonnes
Sanitary waste incinerator: 15 tonnes
Coconut shredder
Total investment: Rs 100 crore