The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday pulled up the State government for its inaction over the garbage crisis in Bangalore even after the court has taken cognisance of the problem.
“It is a matter of concern that the government has not yet looked into the problem [afflicting] Bangaloreans despite these proceedings,” observed a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B.V. Nagarathna in its interim order while hearing public interest litigation petitions (PILs) on garbage.
The Bench also directed the Secretary, Urban Development Department, and the Managing Director of the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation, to present themselves in court during next hearing on November 20.
‘Not the court’s job’
“What is the government doing? [This] is most unfortunate… and not governance at all. [The court is] acting reluctantly. It is not the job of the court…” the Bench observed while directing the government to identify five sites in different directions of the city to double as temporary landfills till a system of permanent waste processing is in place.
“It is disconcerting that a [trivial] issue [such as] fixing a more realistic fine for [improper waste] disposal or failure to segregate waste has not been deliberated by government,” the Bench observed.
