BBMP officials claim garbage diversion to processing plants
BBMP officials claim garbage diversion to processing plants
Bengaluru: The BBMP, in uncharacteristic speed, has decided to stop dumping of garbage in Mandur from Friday, 10 days ahead of the deadline. Mandur villagers, who have fought against the garbage landfill next door for the last eight years, are celebrating the decision with a victory day on December 1.
While Bengaluru was still making guesses on the BBMP’s plans to meet the deadline, district-in-charge and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy announced on Friday that the Palike would stop sending garbage trucks to the landfill that garbage trucks would stop dumping garbage at the landfill.
Reports suggest that that BBMP, which was sending 1,200 tonnes of garbage to Mandur every day, had drastically cut down the quantum after it made a promise to the villagers in June. Over the last few weeks, it had come down to 300 tonnes.
A recent circular issued to all solid waste management officials at the BBMP had asked them to stop sending and dumping garbage at Mandur immediately, sources said. “We received instructions last week to divert garbage from the Mandur landfill. Though no official statement was made, the number of trucks going to Mandur had been reduced over the last couple of days,” an official said.
From now, the Palike will divert 4,500 tonnes of garbage generated in the city to processing plants and quarries on the city outskirts. While Terra Firma and MSGB Ltd plants will receive 1,000 and 500 tonnes of mixed waste respectively, the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation and Mavallipura plants will receive 300 tonnes of wet waste each. Maltos, a processing plant in Doddaballapur, will receive 200 tonnes of wet waste. Garbage generated in Bengaluru South zone will continue to go to the quarries in S. Bingipura and Lakshmipura in Anekal Talk.
BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayan told Deccan Chronicle that from Saturday all garbage trucks to Mandur will be stopped, and waste would be diverted to processing plants.
Special Commissioner for Solid Waste Management Darpan Jain said the quantum of garbage generated had reduced in several parts of the city.
“Awareness has increased and many Bengalureans are disposing of garbage at the ward level. From areas in East Bengaluru, we do not get much garbage, and the burden has come down,” he said.
Mr Jain said that bulk generators, who were taken into confidence, reduced the garbage that was being sent to the landfills. “Dry waste collection centers at 150 wards were also strengthened, further reducing the quantum,” he said.
Mandur erupts in joy, celebrations on Dec. 1:
It took eight long years for the BBMP to stop indiscriminate dumping of garbage at Mandur, 25 km away from Bengaluru. The government had started dumping in the area with a promise to the villagers that a waste-to-energy plant would be set up, but never bothered to implement it. As a result, the villagers are today living close to 25 lakh tonnes of garbage.
Late on Thursday night, when the BBMP officials informed the villagers that garbage trucks will not be sent to Mandur from Friday, the villagers realised they had won their long and hard battle.
“It’s a historic day for us,” said a beaming Gopal Rao, a resident of Mandur. “We did not expect the BBMP to stop sending trucks 10 days before the deadline,” Mr Rao said.
On the days gone by, he said, “We lost our agricultural lands, groundwater level was contaminated and even our relatives stopped visiting us. But it’s all going to change now.”
But the villagers said that their protests will continue till the government cleared all the garbage at the landfill. Mr Rao warned that the BBMP should drop any plans of setting up a garbage processing plant in Mandur, as Friday would be the last day the village would take any of Bengaluru’s garbage.
“If the BBMP has High Court directions to process garbage here, we will also move the court. We will not allow any garbage in Mandur ever again,” he stressed. The villagers are planning to hold ‘Mandur Vijayotsava’ on December 1.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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