No end in sight to impasse at Chigarenahalli
The Hindu
Protest enters second month; BBMP, staring at a garbage crisis, set to open a quarry at Bagalur if needed
With the impasse at Chigarenahalli garbage processing plant refusing to let up and at least three other processing plants currently non-functional, the civic body is staring at a garbage crisis yet again. Since November 20, local communities at Chigarenahalli have barred trucks from dumping waste at the plant citing pollution of water sources and several violations. The Bagalur quarry pit, a new one, which is ready may be put to use any day now, but that may not be enough.
Though the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is confident of resolving the problem at Chigarenahalli, the protesters are adamant that they won’t let a single truck into the quarry. “We are tired of the empty promises the Government keeps making. BBMP claims they have spent ₹200 crore on development works in our villages as compensation. But we don’t see that. We are also demanding that the Anti Corruption Bureau take up a probe into this,” said Siddalingappa, president, Bhaktarahalli Gram Panchayat.
The matter was recently discussed at the ongoing winter session of the Karnataka Assembly in Belagavi where Law Minister J.C. Madhuswamy promised a meeting with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds charge of the city.