The garbage problem in the City aggravated manifold on Thursday as the agitation at Mandur by local villagers against dumping of waste in the landfill entered third day.
The village was on the boil on Thursday with villagers resorting to dharna on the road to prevent the entry of trucks carrying garbage. They burnt huge logs on the road to prevent lorries containing the City’s filth from entering the village. The unrest got more strength with residents of 10 villages adjoining Mandur such as Byappanahalli, Gundur, Kammasandra, Marasandra, Bidarahalli, Jyothipura, Ancharahalli, Bommenahalli, Boodigere and Cheemasandra also joining the protest.
Children aged between six and 12 were among the agitators who raised slogans against the BBMP. Due to the agitation, trucks could not unload waste in the landfill. BBMP sources said the villagers threw stones at the trucks, making it impossible for the drivers to proceed.
One of the agitators, Ravi Gowda of Byappanahalli, said: “The ill-effects of the landfill are not just restricted to Mandur, but has spread across the 11 villages. The landfill has placed our lives at severe risk. We are prone to many deadly diseases and our livelihood has collapsed.
Groundwater in the entire region is polluted, agriculture is ruined and livestock is in danger. To add to our woes, people are unwilling to marry their daughters to our boys due to the unbearable stench.”
Another agitator, Chandrashekhar, charged the BBMP with backtracking from its promise.
“The BBMP continues to dump garbage in our village, violating the undertaking given by the BBMP commissioner that dumping of waste will be stopped from October 1,” he fumed. Channappa from Jyothipura said the villages will no more allow the BBMP to dump garbage.
“Bangalore should learn how to manage its waste, instead of dumping it on our heads.
What we have got in return of having a landfill are diseases, ruined agriculture and a bleak future for our children. This situation will not continue anymore.”
The Bangalore police have deployed enough force in the village, fearing a law and order problem. City Police Commissioner Jyothi Prakash Mirji, accompanied by a posse of police officers dashed to the spot on Thursday to calm down the agitators. He appealed to them to give up their strike for the next few days till an alternative arrangement was made for the waste disposal. The villagers refused to oblige him.
City feels the heat
The agitation by the local villagers paralysed garbage clearance leading to filth piling up across the City. Posh areas such as Koramangala, Jayanagar, JP Nagar, BTM Layout and Padmanabhanagar, which so far remained untouched by the garbage crisis due to special care by the BBMP, too had eyesores at important places.
On the other hand, it became difficult to even visit the backward and slum-dominated areas.
Desperate to overcome the mounting garbage problem, Palike Commissioner Rajneesh Goel has asked farmers to come forward and buy the segregated wet waste.
The Palike said in a press note that the Palike will supply 20 tonnes of segregated wet waste at a cost of Rs 66 per tonne. The civic body advised the farmers that the compost manure made from the wet waste would increase the productivity of their crop.
The commissioner has once again asked citizens to segregate waste at source.
He warned people of penalty in the event of ignoring the instruction of segregating waste.