‘Give garbage slide victims permanent rehabilitation’

Congress Legislature Party Chairman Siddaramaiah on Saturday promised that to urge the government to provide permanent rehabilitation to all the families displaced from their homes due to the sliding of garbage.

Siddaramaiah, after visiting garbage slide-affected area at Mandara Gadi in Pacchanady, told reporters that the government should either provide lump-sum amount to victims to help them eke out a living or pay a rent of Rs 10,000 to the victims until the houses are constructed. Many acres of farmland were lost due to the sliding of garbage, which has affected the livelihood of residents.

He said that the authorities should take measures to clear the garbage that had slid on to Mandara area and make the locality conducive for living. “If the authorities are unable to clear the garbage, the MCC should construct a retaining wall. The authorities should acquire entire land and distribute the compensation to the land owners,” he added.

Precautionary measures

Siddaramaiah said that he would appeal to the government to initiate measures to check leachate draining and polluting the surface water sources like open wells.

“The MCC had not taken precautionary measures while dumping the garbage at the landfill site. The authorities had also not anticipated such a disaster at the landfill site,” he rued.

“Had the authorities constructed a retaining wall around the landfill site, the disaster could have been avoided. As many as 27 houses have been damaged. Farmland, plantations, a Daivasthana have all been covered by garbage. There is a need for a permanent solution to the garbage woes at the Pacchanady area. Temporary relief work will be of not much beneficial,” Siddaramaiah opined.

As many as 10 families wish to remain at the Mandara area. The remaining 17 families wish to shift to safer areas. Such families should be rehabilitated by being providing sites and house, he said.

He urged the government to distribute compensation for the loss of farmland at Pacchanady area. The residents highlighted the hardship they faced when the mountain of garbage swept through their farms.

The garbage had started sliding from the landfill site on August 6 and had covered the plantations in the nearby areas on August 7. As the region received heavy rainfall, the authorities failed to prevent the sliding of the garbage as it covered the entire Mandara area.