Garbage issue: CM tries to find solution with protesters

With the garbage disposal issue cropping up again in the country's IT hub, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said efforts are being made to thrash out a solution with the residents living near the Mandur landfill who are up in arms against dumping of waste in their village.
"Local leaders had come to meet me. I have asked them to give us six months time and assured them that we will stop dumping garbage there in six months," he told reporters here after a meeting with the village representatives.
Siddaramaiah said plans were being made to set up processing plants to convert garbage there into energy.

The meeting was aimed at pacifying the agitating residents of the village who have made it clear that they would not relent until the garbage dumping is stopped.
A section of villagers who came out of the meeting claimed the talks have failed and said their demands to lift prohibitory orders (under Section 144) imposed in the area, to stop dumping of garbage near Mandur and to vacate garbage accumulated in the landfill has not been met.
They even threatened to go on hunger strike from tomorrow.

Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in Mandur seeking to prevent villagers from protesting against dumping garbage in the landfill.

The Mandur crisis made headlines last year also with the residents staging protest against dumping of garbage. The issue had assumed serious proportions then when Bangalore was dubbed a "garbage city".
The city corporation BBMP had promised to create alternative waste disposal facilities and stop dumping waste in Mandur after May 31.
Bangalore city produces around 4,000 tonnes of garbage per day.
BBMP dumps 1,800 tonnes in Mandur; 1,000 tonnes in Gundlahalli village, Doddaballapur; 500 tonnes in S Bingipura. It has 150 dry waste collection centres.