Bengaluru: From banning meat to filling up potholes, Yelahanka and its surroundings are undergoing a major clean-up exercise ahead of this year’s edition of AeroIndia.
Responding to concerns of the authorities of the Indian Air Force base - where the five-day premier aero show will be held - the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is ridding the area of scavenger birds. More than 260 hotels, butcher shops and other establishments in and around Yelahanka zone have either been told to stop serving meat or shut down entirely. The restrictions will remain in force till February 19.
“Only places where animal waste is scientifically disposed can operate. But, since this is not the norm, we are not taking any chances and have directed them to down shutters. Improper waste management will attract birds and pose a threat to the air show,” said S. Nagaraju, Joint Commissioner (Yelahanka), BBMP.
Acting on a request from the IAF, civic officials have started ‘de-nesting’ the area. Engineers and officials have pulled down nests of crows, Brahminy Kites and other birds, which may come in the way of the flight path of aircraft during the show.
At the Mavallipura waste processing plant, which is barely six km from the base, officials have covered unprocessed and processed waste to dissuade birds from gathering at the site. Similarly, abandoned quarries in Bettahalasooru, Mitiganahalli and Bagalur, which are being used as landfills by the BBMP, will not be operated during the day. Also, BBMP has directed that the waste be covered with mud and slag quickly to ensure that they do not attract scavenging birds. The district administration has closed numerous ‘fish ponds’ in agricultural fields.
Meanwhile, work has begun on filling potholes in the bylanes of Yelahanka.
