Residents of Mandur have deferred their decision to go on an indefinite fast in protest against dumping of solid waste in the landfills in their village. They will meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday and then take a take a call on their next course of action.
The Mandur residents staged a rasta roko agitation on Devanahalli Main Road soon after the death of Narayanamma (80), a Mandur resident. Gopal Rao, a resident of Mandur village and social activist, told The Hindu that many residents have fallen ill because of the pollution caused by the dumping of waste in the landfills in the village.
“Another village resident called Krishnappa has been admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital in Bangalore for several days now. Vimala Bai, yet another resident, was admitted to a hospital in K.R. Puram on Friday,” he added.
In a related development, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Kodihalli Chandrashekhar met Mayor B.S. Sathyanarayana and expressed his solidarity with the residents of Mandur.
Speaking to presspersons, he condemned the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for continuing to dump waste in Mandur and for failing to put in place waste processing units.
“Residents of Mandur are forced to live in inhuman conditions risking their health. It is shameful that the BBMP has had to seek police protection to dump waste in the landfill there,” he said.
Mr. Chandrashekhar urged the Mayor to ensure that segregation of waste at source is taken up in all wards and processing is done within BBMP limits.
