Declaring that garbage should not be dumped in landfills, High Court
Justice N Kumar on Sunday said he would issue an order to the BBMP to
set up garbage processing units in each of the Assembly constituencies
in its limits.

Justice Kumar made the statement while he was
inspecting landfills with Justice Nagarathna. Addressing reporters after
the inspection, Justice Kumar said segregation units must be set up so
that the processing of waste is completed within the constituency
limits. He warned of strict action, including cancellation of licences,
against contractors who did not ensure proper segregation of waste.

The
two HC judges visited the waste segregation unit in Kuvempunagar ward,
Mavallipura landfill and the Terra Firma processing unit in
Doddballapur. They were accompanied by BBMP Commissioner M
Lakshminarayana.

Residents of Vidyaranyapura and Yelahanka, who
came to the Kuvempunagar unit, blamed contractors for the absence of
proper segregation in their wards. They claimed that lack of manpower
and specialised equipment were key reasons for the non-segregation of
waste. “Ever since a new contractor took over in December last year, the
existing manpower of over 100 persons was cut to 53. They promised more
equipment as well, but it did not happen,” a resident said.

Kalathur
Layout Resident Welfare Association president R Premchand said the
Palike had turned a blind eye to the problems of residents. “To win
tenders, contractors show less number of workers and quote low amounts
for the work. As a result, the waste does not get segregated and during
rains, the areas get badly affected. The garbage also attracts stray
dogs,” residents said.

The BBMP Commissioner said the civic body
would implement all recommendations made by Justice Kumar and added that
the setting-up of the units in each Assembly segment would also be
cost-effective as it reduces transportation costs.

Apart from the
existing dry waste segregation unit in Kuvempunagar, the BBMP plans to
set up a wet waste management facility in the ward. However, this will
be built in the vicinity of the ward where slum dwellers live. “Since
the facility will have to be set up where the slum presently exists, we
plan to build it once the rehabilitation of the slum dwellers is
completed,” Lakshminarayana said.

At Mavallipura too, the
inspection team had to listen to the civic woes of local residents.
Muniraju, president of the Gantaganahalli Gram Panchayat, said, “Lot of
people have died and many are affected. The groundwater is polluted and
even cattle are yielding less milk while goats and sheep are having skin
diseases. We want the people responsible for this mess to be punished
and we had filed a PIL in the HC a year ago.”