Bengaluru: Land availability is proving to be the major hurdle in establishing an integrated solid waste management system in four directions of Bengaluru, a project conceptualised by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
Two of the four places identified by Bengaluru’s civic body for handling about half of the city’s garbage have been dropped after legislators turned down the request anticipating public opposition.
The BBMP identified four large parcels of land, including a 90-acre property in Doddaballapur (north), the existing landfill site in Mandur (east), the Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) land in Bidadi (west) and a 179-acre property belonging to the Public Works Department in Gollahalli on Bannerghatta Road (south).
While Mahadevapura MLA Manjula Limbavali and her husband and former legislator Aravind Limbavali put their foot down against bringing waste to Mandur again, Energy Minister and Sarvagna Nagar MLA KJ George reportedly opposed a similar proposal to process waste on the KPCL land in Bidadi where a waste-to-energy plant is almost ready for operations.
In 2012, Mandur residents blocked the roads leading to the landfill site, saying they would no longer allow trash to be dumped in their midst.
The blockade, coupled with a strike by municipal workers over payment issues, resulted in mounds of waste lying on the city’s streets and making global headlines.
“People will throw stones at garbage-laden vehicles,” said Aravind Limbavali, who is also the chairman of Mahadevapura Taskforce. “The BBMP stopped sending garbage to Mandur after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the landfill area and assured the protesting villagers.”
Limbavali said neither the BBMP nor GAIL Ltd would be allowed to set up any garbage-related plants in Mandur.
“At the moment, work is going on to remove whatever was dumped on the site for seven years. The groundwater is contaminated. There is leachate water everywhere. The dumping yard has turned into a serious health hazard,” he said.
The government fears bringing more waste to Bidadi could derail its massive investment on building Karnataka’s first waste-to-energy plant.
One of the two places finalised for establishing a waste management plant is private land, known as Terra Firma, off Doddaballapur Road. The other property, which comes under the Bengaluru South Assembly constituency, belongs to both the Public Works Department and Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE).
A BBMP official said the search was underway to identify two new places for establishing an integrated waste management system that would include the creation of multiple facilities, including biogas and waste-to-energy plant. The civic body has not disclosed the cost of establishing the new facility.