The Hindu              08.08.2013

‘Garbage problem can be solved in two years’

The garbage problem that erupted last year is a black
mark on the city’s reputation. “It will take a minimum of two years for
this black mark to go off,” said M. Lakshminarayan, Commissioner of the
Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

He was
speaking at the launch of zero garbage programme in three wards —
Vishwanatha Nagenahalli, Gangenahalli and Jayachamarajendranagar — here
on Wednesday.

“Bangalore earlier had earned a good
name. Of late, however, the garbage issue has become a black mark on the
city. By taking up the zero garbage programme in 22 wards first and
later extending it to the other wards, we hope to solve the garbage
problem,” he said.

Segregation

Stressing
on segregation of waste at source, Mr. Lakshminarayan said that the
garbage contractors handling waste in the chosen 22 wards have been
instructed not to aggregate the waste. “The BBMP will levy penalty
against the contractor mixing the waste.” He said that the awareness
programmes would be intensified in the select wards.

He
urged students who had gathered at the event to segregate waste and not
litter the streets. Interacting with them later, he said that farmers
used to earlier buy wet waste from citizens. But with excessive use of
plastic, they had no use for the waste from the city. “With no access to
organic waste i.e. pure wet waste, the farmers have resorted to use of
chemical fertilizer, which is poisoning our food.”

Hebbal
MLA R. Jagadeesh Kumar told reporters that to begin with, the zero
garbage programme is being taken up in three wards. Within six months,
it would be extended to the other wards in the constituency. “This will
make it the first Assembly constituency in the State to be completely
zero garbage.”

Councillors Munirathnamma (Vishwanatha
Nagenahalli), M. Nagraj (Gangenahalli), N. Govindaraju
(Jayachamarajendranagar), V. Anand (Ganganagar), Jayappa Reddy (Hebbal),
and senior BBMP officials were present.