Protest against garbage dumping at Bellahalli landfill
On Wednesday morning, residents around Bellahalli landfill stopped BBMP’s garbage trucks from dumping waste there. Since the last three years, Bengaluru has been dumping waste here. The landfill has become a serious threat to the health and well-being of residents nearby, especially during monsoons, the protestors said.
As the protest continued, BBMP used police force to resume waste dumping on Thursday afternoon. D Randeep, BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), said that the protestors had blocked over 300 garbage-laden trucks.
Later, BBMP’s entire fleet of 450 trucks was sent on a second trip to collect Thursday’s waste, Randeep said. The delay in waste collection had led to garbage piling up in several parts of the city.
During a similar protest by Bellahalli residents last year, Bengaluru Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun had promised development works worth Rs 130 crore around the area. Residents are furious that these works have been halted.
Source: The Hindu | Bangalore Mirror
Slump in sale of Ganesha idols
Though Ganesha Chathurthi is approaching, roads and markets are not stocked with Ganesha idols as usual. Sellers say the reason is the low availability of good-quality clay, and a drop in demand compared to previous years.
An idol maker, M Sridhar, said that only 15 percent of his idols have been sold, whereas 35-45 percent should have been sold by now. Due to floods this year, he had to source clay from other districts rather than from his usual supplier in Belagavi.
Good-quality clay is now high in demand, but low in supply, idol-makers say. The demand has increased due to the ban on Plaster of Paris idols, and as more people have entered the business over the years.
Source: The Hindu
Mahadevapura residents fight monsoon woes
The road beneath a railway underbridge in Panathur was flooded on Tuesday evening, after heavy rains. Vehicles were nearly submerged for hours, with school buses being the worst-affected. Last year, B S Yediyurappa and other BJP leaders had held a protest here, asking BBMP to allocate funds to widen the road. BBMP officials said that Rs 7 cr has already been allocated for road widening, but work hadn’t started because of delays in property acquisition.
Residents of Panathur, Kadubeesanahalli and other areas in Mahadevapura assembly constituency have to wait over 12 hours before BBMP resolves monsoon-related problems. This is despite the civic body announcing the setting up of special squads to resolve such issues.
Source: Bangalore Mirror
High Court against illegal constructions
Taking note of several petitions on illegal constructions and BBMP’s failure to demolish those, the High Court has ordered suo motu initiation of a PIL. The PIL is for issuing specific directions to BBMP to demolish illegal structures.
The court gave the direction while hearing a PIL alleging that a three-storey building had been illegally constructed in Bommanahalli zone. Court had ordered demolition of this structure back in January 2018, but BBMP had not followed the order due to lack of funds for demolition.
Source: The Hindu
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]