Karnataka: Open space used as dumpyard in Kodagu village to turn into a park

MADIKERI: Mounting criticism from locals, who have been increasingly distressed in proportion to the growing pile of garbage at a vacant spot on Gonikoppal Road in Ponnampet, the gram panchayat has decided to turn this plot into a park. Its location, at the very entrance to Ponnampet, which made it convenient for people to discard waste at the plot, is now proving useful to the local administration, who are eager to welcome visitors with the sight of a verdant garden. The Ponnampet GP, which was recently awarded the Gandhi Gram Puraskar, has already initiated work on transforming the plot into a park.
The rotting pile of waste that was an eyesore has now been cleared, and the ground levelled using earth moving machines. Ponnampet GP development officer RJ Puttaraju said, "The GP has appealed to the locals not to use this site as an unofficial dumpyard. We have installed a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera at the plot, and those caught dumping garbage at this proposed site for a park will be fined Rs 25,000."
He stressed the various measures put in place by the GP to usher in a scientific model for disposal and management of waste in Ponnampet. "We have ensured doorstep collection of garbage, which is segregated. Waste that is deemed valuable is sold to a Mysuru-based company, and revenue generated from the sale of garbage has enabled the GP to employ 10 additional personnel, the services of whom we are employing for waste management. We are ferrying the other portion of waste to a cement factory in Belagavi," Puttaraju added.