The efforts of the Chief Minister, city in-charge minister, mayor and the BBMP commissioner to find a solution to the garbage mess and to transport garbage out of the city seems to have come to nought as over 10,000 metric tons (MT) of solid waste remains uncleared in the city.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle BBMP commissioner Rajneesh Goel said that since the garbage is not being accepted at landfills in Mandur and Terra Firma, mounds of garbage have accumulated in the city. “Over 7,500 tons of garbage has accumulated in the city. Pesticides are being sprayed and garbage is treated with EM (effective micro-organism) solution to prevent outbreak or spread of epidemics. Only a small quantum of waste has been transported to quarries,” he said.
The BMTC has agreed to part with 212 acres of land at 20 different locations in the city to segregate and process the waste. In lieu of these 212 acres the BMTC has sought Kalasipalya bus stand for its operations and eight acres of land in different parts of the city. Hopefully, the government will sort out these issues of land transfer, Mr Goel said. Meanwhile, the BBMP has come out with an action plan to dispose of garbage. About 16 locations have been identified for setting up bio-methane plants to process the wet waste, and 18 locations have been identified for segregation of dry and wet waste.
Several companies have approached the BBMP offering to process 2,765 MT waste and convert it into bio fuel or energy. They are: Hanjira Biotech Energy Pvt. Ltd. (Subbarayanapalya), MK Aromatic Pvt. Ltd. (Mandur North), Ashok Biogreen Pvt. Ltd. and Melhem Engineers Pvt. Ltd (16 locations in city), Organic Waste India Pvt. Ltd. (Mandur North), Bio fuel plant (Kannahalli), Sataram Company (Magadi Taluk), Organic Waste Converters (Thanisandra, Cantonment Railway Station and Dollars Colony).
At the Council meeting Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy said that the government has agreed to approve all projects that offer a permanent solution for garbage disposal.