From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Sep 28: With the right infrastructure and technology, Bangalore can become a zero garbage city, where garbage is either composted or recycled, according to Law, Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
The city should take inspiration from Surat, which was transformed from a plague-hit city into a model of urban sanitation, Suresh Kumar said at a workshop on municipal solid waste management organized by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board on Wednesday.
Three waste-to-energy plants under various stages of development in the outskirts of the city will together consume the 3000 tonnes of garbage that the city generates and convert it into power, said Department of Environment and Ecology Secretary Kanwar Pal.
More than 50 per cent of all 219 urban local bodies in the State do not have operational scientific landfills, he lamented.
Karnataka’s Ports, Fisheries, Environment and Ecology Minister Krishna Palemar said strict action must be taken against top officials of city municipal council if they were found to violate environmental norms.
Environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy said the Lok Adalat in association with non-government organizations, will be distributing identity cards and uniforms to 5,000 ragpickers by March 2012.
''This initiative aims to bring dignity to ragpickers who are a vital part of waste management in the city,’’ he said.
The project will also involve getting rag pickers a fair bargain for their material and also provide infrastructure for segregation.
The city has close to 70,000 rag pickers, out of which 25,000 are children, Reddy said adding 1,000 children will be given free education.
"We are identifying the individuals who will benefit from the scheme,” he added.