Claiming that the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has identified seven to eight sites to dump garbage generated in the city, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Saturday promised to come up with a long-term waste management solution in the coming week.
Speaking to presspersons after a meeting with Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy and BBMP Commissioner M.K. Shankarlinge Gowda, besides Health Minister Aravind Limbavali, Mr. Shettar acknowledged the problems Bangaloreans faced over the past week because of garbage piling up. He had directed BBMP officials to prioritise garbage clearance. He was confident the city would soon be rid of accumulated garbage as the BBMP personnel had carried out a lot of work since Saturday morning.
Talking about the future course of action, he said at least seven or eight plots of land had been identified for garbage dumps. The State government would work towards finding a permanent solution to waste management.
Power from waste
The city’s garbage would be used by companies to generate power, he said, and added that several firms had come forward to take up the responsibility of managing waste within the legal purview. “The process will be done technically and scientifically as well,” he said, and expressed his confidence in the BBMP.
Asked about the health hazards for residents in villages surrounding the Mavallipura landfill, Mr. Shettar said the private firm entrusted with treating of waste had failed to deliver. “It has not adhered to the agreement. We will take further action against it.”
The Mayor said the BBMP Commissioner would look into the violations by Ramky, the firm entrusted with the waste management at Mavallipura.
He added that a meeting of BBMP officials with Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashok and Urban Development Minister S. Suresh Kumar would be held on Monday to arrive at a long-term solution. A meeting of BBMP officials and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board chairperson A. Sadashiviah will be held on Tuesday.