Can’t stop dumping Bengaluru waste in Doddaballapur, says government

A calling attention motion was raised in the Assembly by MLAs T Venkataramaiah, Krishna Byre Gowda and K Srinivas Murthy

The state government on Wednesday told the Karnataka Assembly that it cannot stop dumping Bengaluru’s waste in the suburbs of Doddaballapur despite protests from citizens.

“How can I say that we will stop dumping? What will we do with Bengaluru’s waste then?” Law Minister JC Madhuswamy said in the Assembly.

He was responding on behalf of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to a calling attention motion raised by MLAs T Venkataramaiah (Doddaballapur), Krishna Byre Gowda (Byatarayanapura) and K Srinivas Murthy (Nelamangala).

“Since 2014, waste generated in Bengaluru has been dumped in Doddaballapur. Two firms were given permission - Terra Firma and MSGP. When [Congress] was in power, we closed down Terra Firma and only MSGP is handling the waste now. But, they are not doing it scientifically. The dumping is so bad that there’s a hill of garbage that is affecting the health of people,” Gowda said.

Also Read — Upalokayukta probes garbage dumping on roadside

The government, in its written reply, said that around 500 tonnes of waste goes to the MSGP plant in Doddaballapur daily, but Gowda claimed that the figure is higher.

“In the recent spate of rainfall, leachate from the waste entered and polluted water sources,” Gowda said. “MSGP is concerned only with the profit they make. The more waste they get, the higher their profit. We’ve seen this company for 5-6 years and we know they will not mend their ways,” Gowda said.

Madhuswamy said he visited Doddaballapur to take stock of the situation. “There was negligence on the part of the contractor. We pulled them up. Leachate had flown everywhere, even into stormwater drains. They said it happened by accident. Fortunately, the leachate hadn’t reached the Mavathur lake. That would have been a disaster,” the minister said.

Former ministers Ramalinga Reddy and KJ George, who have managed the city’s affairs before, urged the government to close the MSGP plant. “Close it and do something else. You can consider using abandoned quarry pits,” Reddy said. Gowda added that using defunct quarry pits for waste is “not as dangerous and far better”.

Madhuswamy offered to organise a meeting with Bommai, who is also the Bengaluru City Development Minister, to find a solution.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: