No more landfills around city, promises BBMP

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner Siddaiah woke up to the garbage mess that's defacing the city and some of its outskirts, on Saturday, and asserted that there would be no more landfills around Bangalore for dumping waste.

Expressing remorse over the Mandur mess, Siddaiah said: “Though there were two processing units in Mandur, not even a kilo of garbage was processed all these years.” He sympathised with the residents of Mandur and other villages in the vicinity of the landfill, saying that “no one has the right to deprive the villagers of a decent and healthy life. We have been committing sins and crime on a day-to-day basis against the villagers. I think that we have no right to do so."

Disappointed over the garbage issue, Siddaiah reiterated that it is the responsibility of the residents to segregate garbage at source. “There are many hotels and marriage halls that generate garbage in bulk. We have been advising them to take measures to segregate their waste at source. Many companies have evinced interest in setting up garbage processing units at locations within the city limits,” Siddaiah said.

He also called for initiatives such as ‘Wake Up, Clean Up Bengaluru’ to clear the garbage mess. The seven-day exhibition will be inaugurated by chief minister Jagadish Shettar at Freedom Park at 3pm on Sunday.

Echoing similar views, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) chairman Vaman Acharya said the exhibition would generate new methods and ideas for better management of Bangalore and help it to regain its lost glory.

A host of other dignitaries and stakeholders, including Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, came together on Saturday to promote the exhibition.