The deadlock over dumping of garbage at the Mandur landfill continued on Thursday as a meeting convened by the Upalokayukta S.B. Majage did not provide immediate solution to the problems faced by Mandur residents.
While BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana expressed his inability to stop dumping of garbage immediately, the residents, who also participated in the meeting along with freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy, reiterated their stand to oppose dumping till it is stopped.
Future action In a presentation made before the Upalokayukta, the Commissioner outlined the plans to reduce pressure on the Mandur landfill and said that the quantum of solid waste being sent to Mandur could be eased over the next six to eight months. “Unless an alternative is provided, BBMP has no choice,” he added.
“Many projects are in implementation stage. Only after they are completed will the quantum of garbage being dumped at Mandur be tapered down from the current 1,800 tonnes daily to 600 tonnes daily,” he said.
Not impressed However, Mr. Doreswamy not only sought an immediate relief to people of Mandur by stopping dumping of garbage, but also expressed his reservations over the projects outlined by the Commissioner. The freedom fighter also took objection to imposition of the prohibitory orders.
Gopal Raj, a resident, told presspersons after the meeting that they will continue to protest till the garbage dumping is stopped.
Meanwhile, Mr. Majage said: “No direction will be given at the moment since further discussions are needed. I will take this issue to its logical end.”
While the Commissioner spoke about big projects to handle the garbage crisis, Mr. Majage suggested that small garbage processing units could be set up in different localities to ease the problem.
‘I admit my failure’
BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana admitted his failure in ensuring that all garbage generated in the city is processed. “I admit my failure since only 20 per cent of the garbage generated in the city is being processed. I will consider it a success if it exceeds 50 per cent. However, I have not lost heart and people in Bangalore will understand my problem.” He also said that in cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai only 10 per cent of the garbage dumped in a landfill is being processed.
