The garbage crisis, which the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) claimed to have mitigated in the last 24 hours, is likely to worsen with residents of Mandur deciding on a blockade on Monday.
Agitated by the amount of garbage being dumped at the landfill off Bangalore-Hoskote Road near Begur Cross, residents of the Mandur Gram Panchayat have decided to block the entry of all the BBMP trucks to the dumping yard.
The site in Mandur has been used as a dumping yard earlier as well, for garbage from Whitefield and nearby areas. With the landfill at Mavallipura being inaccessible, the Palike has been diverting all the waste, treble the earlier 300 tonnes, generated across the City to Mandur in the past five days.
The Palike on Sunday opened two ‘temporary’ dumping yards in RR Nagar. “We have resolved the crisis and the garbage is being removed from the City streets,” claimed BBMP Commissioner Shankarlinge Gowda.
But, the Palike’s quick fix solution to the garbage issue by diverting the City’s refuse to the Mandur landfill has left the residents there in a heap of problems.
“The mosquito menace is out of control. People are falling ill and many have been suffering from dengue. Cold and fever have become common,” said Ramesh, a member of the Panchayat.
“They promised that they would spray disinfectants, which is not done. Flies are swarming the locality,” said Narayanappa, a resident.
People living in the Mandur panchayat limits said they are forced to shut the doors of their houses throughout the day to avoid the stink emanating from the garbage.
“The farms around the site have become off-bounds due to the landfill. It also invites stray dogs and the road has become inaccessible, especially to children,” said Ramesh.
The residents have warned the Palike that they would not allow the trucks to dump garbage Monday onwards.
“We want the Palike to soon stop dumping the waste here,” Ramesh said. However, the BBMP officials claim that the Palike is in no position to relent and have already sought police presence in the area.
Around 2,000 tonnes of garbage was moved from the roads since Saturday, with more to be cleared by Sunday evening, claimed the Palike officials.
“We are utilising Mandur and Terra Firma as our main disposal areas now, with landfills in RR Nagar and Chimmasandra as temporary sites. As and when the garbage in the City is disposed, the waste in these areas will also be cleared,” an official told Deccan Herald.
The official said that the Palike was now in possession of 600 acres in Ittamadu and Anekal, if the situation worsens.
“The 600 acres of land is only a backup. Despite stiff opposition from the local MLA, the land may be utilised if the situation worsens on account of the backlog in clearing the garbage,” said the official.