Stink to continue in Bangalore city

Bangalore: Bangaloreans have to live with the stench for another three days as Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has said it cannot find a solution to the problem of clearing garbage before Monday. The uncleared garbage on city streets is also likely to pose health problems, particularly after the heavy rains on Thursday evening. Doctors said if the garbage is not cleared within two days, dengue will become rampant.

Tonnes of garbage has piled up across the city as people living near landfills opposed further dumping of garbage fearing health hazards and loss of livelihood. BBMP commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda said by Monday they would identify seven new places to dump garbage. “Segregation in homes solves 80 per cent of the garbage problem,” he said, and added that he did not have a magic wand to solve the issue overnight. Meanwhile, the government’s decision to reopen Mavallipura dumping yard on Doddaballapur Road attracted the ire of locals.

On Thursday, residents of Mavallipura and nearby villages staged a protest against the government’s decision. During the protest, Srinivas of Mavallipura suffered an attack and was declared brought dead at Baptist Hospital, Hebbal. The villagers demanded that police register a murder case against Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok and Mayor D Venkateshmurthy for his death. They plan to protest in front of the Palike on Friday. A few progressive organisations have also called for a Yelahanka bandh on Friday. Meanwhile, the government had deployed 100 personnel from the Karnataka State Reserve Police and City Armed Reserve to avoid any untoward incidents at the dumping site.

BBMP’s inaction in finding a solution to the problem was criticised by various resident welfare associations, while a few have found a way of clearing the garbage by converting it into a compost after segregation. In Kalyannagar, residents said the garbage started stinking more after the rains. “BBMP is solely responsible for this situation. When they can collect tax, they should have done a fair job and put up infrastructure to segregate waste at the ward level,” said D Rajshekar, secretary, Kalyannagar Resident Welfare Association.