Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah cites assembly session, to visit Mandur in August

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will miss his date with Mandur. Mr Siddaramaiah had promised the villagers that he would visit the landfill site near their village.

But official sources said that the chief minister had to postpone his visit because of the ongoing Assembly session. The visit is now likely in the first week of August. Following an uproar by residents of Mandur and neighbouring villages, the government and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have assured them that dumping of garbage at the landfill will stop from December 1.

Mr Gopala Rao, a resident of Mandur who spearheaded the protest against the indiscriminate and unscientific dumping of waste, said that district in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy who visited Mandur a couple of days ago assured the villagers that the government would extend all help and stop dumping from December 1. The BBMP has brought down the number of garbage trucks being moved to the landfill from 200 to 180, he said.

The pace of welfare works like providing soil topping, constructing the fallen compound wall around the landfill and spraying of chemicals are going on satisfactory. However, the BBMP has failed to contain the bad stench, he said.

“We have urged the BBMP and Mr Reddy to come up with a better solution to prevent the unbearable stench. We hope that Mr Siddaramaiah will visit Mandur and experience first-hand the problems being faced by the villagers,” Mr Rao said.

The BBMP and government are searching for an alternative site for dumping from December 1. Since some of the projects to process the municipal solid waste would take some more time, it is crucial to have a landfill near the city. Already, a couple of spots have been identified and the government is yet to give its approval. The location will be revealed only after the government approval to avoid any protests, said sources.

Mr Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that the chief minister’s visit to Mandur has been postponed and rescheduled for August first week. “The villagers are happy with the progress of work in Mandur. We are supplying 50,000 litres of Cauvery water in eight tankers every day,” Mr Reddy said.