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.