Residents of J.P. Nagar, Visveshwar Nagar and surrounding areas took to the streets on Thursday against the continuing functioning of the solid waste treatment plant at Sewage Farm.
The residents, led by the former MLA S.A. Ramdas, wore masks to indicate the foul odour in the air due to the presence of the waste treatment plant.
The public demand for shifting the waste treatment plant has been pending for years in view of the strong odour and stench that envelops a large swathe of the surrounding residential areas. The protesters stopped a few trucks carrying garbage meant for disposal at the treatment plant and also got embroiled in a war of words with the local authorities.
While the MCC is focussed on regaining the ‘clean city’ tag there was little focus on relocating the waste treatment plants besides decentralizing the process, according to the activists in the protest. However, MCC Commissioner G. Jagadeesha said that out of nearly 400 tonnes of waste generated in the city, nearly 75% was treated scientifically and the rest went to the landfills.
But Mr. Ramdas claimed that hardly 160 tonnes were being treated and the untreated garbage, amounting to nearly 14 lakh tonnes, was laying in the vicinity and hence the cause for the foul stench in the area.
However, the issue has assumed political colours with the M.K. Somashekar, Krishnaraja MLA, questioning the timing of protest by Mr. Ramdas. But V. Srinivas Prasad refuted suggestions of the BJP trying to score a political point in the run-up to the elections. Meanwhile, a section of the activists including a few seers from different mutts planted saplings in the waste treatment plant premises.
