Bangalore, Jun 3 (DHNS): Garbage crisis loomed large on the City on Monday as more than 400 truckloads of waste could not be dumped at the Mandur landfill, in a strong reminiscence of the 2012 scenario.
The situation is also a stark reminder of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s promise, made soon after he assumed office, to solve the garbage problem within six months.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) could not dump waste on Sunday due to an agitation by the residents of 20 villages around Mandur landfill site. The residents protested against the BBMP’s failure to fulfill its promise of closing the landfill in one year.
The agitation in Mandur had its effect on the City within a day as streets wore a messy look. Heaps of garbage were seen or set on fire at many places, especially in Rajajinagar, Kamakashipalya, Magadi Road and Basaveshwaranagar among others. Sujatha A, a resident of Nagavara, maintained that the garbage from her neighbourhood was not cleared.
Markets, too, were not spared from the stinking problem. At the K R Market, traders said more than 20 tonnes of waste has remained uncleared since Sunday.
“The situation is worsening as the waste was not picked up for the last two days,” said president of K R Market Flower Merchants’ Association G M Diwakar.
General Secretary of Russell Market Traders’ Association Mohammed Idris Chowdhary said, “Around 30 tonnes of waste was piled up and Monday’s rainfall has worsened the situation as the garbage has started stinking badly.”
When contacted, Mayor B S Satyanarayana was in denial mode. He said steps were being taken to remove the waste from all the Palike wards.
A local leader from Mandur, Chandrashekar said, “In 2012, the BBMP had sought one year’s time. After the completion of a year, it sought an extension of six months to set up solid waste-processing units, to which we obliged. The deadline also ended six months ago, but there has been no effort from the BBMP to stop the dumping.” Chandrashekar added that the agitation would continue despite the deployment of police forces.