Garbage across the city is piling up for two different reasons. One is that dumping in Mavallipura landfill has almost come to a standstill and another is that a few garbage contractors have failed to keep their end of the bargain.
But Amuda Vasantkumar, resident of H.V.R. Layout in Govindarajanagar, only wants the garbage that is piling up in her locality to be cleared. She said that it has been three days since the garbage from her area was picked up and the roads cleaned by the pourakarmikas. “Earlier, an autorickshaw would come and take the garbage away. However, three days ago, only one pourakarmika came with a garbage trolley and picked up the garbage. This was after we complained to the civic body,” she said.
Senior Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials conceded that there were some issues with garbage clearance. “With dumping in Mavallipura becoming difficult, the garbage trucks are being sent to the landfills in Mandur and Rajarajeshwarinagar,” they said.
Another protest
Meanwhile, the residents of Mavallipura are gearing up to stage another protest. They said they were let down by Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy who did not keep his word. The Mayor had assured the villagers of visiting the dumpyard on Saturday. M. Ramesh, resident and member of the gram panchayat, said that the residents had even locked the gates of the dumpyard on Saturday when the Mayor failed to turn up.
“The police broke open the locks late on Saturday night. However, we are not letting garbage trucks inside the landfill. If the Mayor fails to turn up on Monday, we will stop all vehicles and stage a dharna,” he said.
Mr. Venkatesh Murthy explained that he had planned to approve the 2012-13 budget on Friday and visit the landfill on Saturday. “However, the budget discussions went for longer than planned. We will be busy till Wednesday when BBMP Commissioner M.K. Shankarlinge Gowda is likely to give the budget responses. We will visit the villagers of Mavallipura again,” he said.
He admitted that the garbage contractors are not clearing waste.
“We are working on new garbage tenders. Some contractors who have quoted more than the schedule of rates have been called for negotiations. Once the new work orders are issued, the garbage problem is likely to be solved,” he added.
