The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will need at least another three or four months to make alternative arrangements for garbage disposal, said Commissioner Siddaiah.
With the deadline issued by communities living around the Mandur landfill coming to an end on Thursday, the Commissioner said the BBMP would request them to bear with the civic authority for a few more months.
Responding to the members at the council meeting, he said that the government had given the BBMP the go-ahead to acquire land to set up waste management plants. “We have identified land as well at Arudi near Doddaballapur and Togarighatta in Bangalore Rural district. However, putting the systems in place will take time. It is time we adopted prudent waste management practices and send only inerts to the landfills.”
At Togarighatta, the 600 acres of land was scattered and not in a block. However, at Arudi, the 476 acres was at one place, accessible from the main road.
Land price
The Bangalore (Rural) Deputy Commissioner had fixed the land rate at Rs. 10.60 lakh an acre. The high-power committee chaired by the Chief Secretary had also approved the acquisition proposal.
The Revenue Department will also hand over around 78 acres across 30 locations in and around the city to the BBMP, while the Karnataka Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had approved the setting of a plant at Kalbalu on 70 acres.
Garbage tender
Opposition Leader M.K. Gunashekar sought to know what action would be initiated against BVG India Ltd., which had failed to execute its contracted garbage disposal. The company had bagged over 50 packages but has started work in only 12.
He said the company would forfeit the earnest money deposit for failing to take up work and the BBMP would re-tender the packages where work had not been taken up.
Nominated
Five nominated councillors, chosen by the State government, took oath on Wednesday. They are Gowramma, C. Nagaraj, K. Prakash, Latha Mallya and Srinivas.
