Residents protest to demand immediate closure of Chikkanagamangala waste processing plant

Bengaluru: More than 500 residents of Chikkanagamangala and surrounding areas staged a protest against BBMP Saturday, demanding immediate closure of Chikkanagamangala municipal waste processing plant.
The residents accused BBMP of disregarding multiple National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders and continuing operations despite severe environmental and health hazards posed by the plant.
"We have been protesting since 2019, yet no concrete action has been taken. We are now dependent on tankers that source water from Malathoor and other distant locations because the groundwater around Electronics City is no longer safe due to chemical contamination," said Pranay Dubey, a member of Electronic City Rising, a citizens' group advocating for environmental and civic issues.
The pollution led to severe health issues, including bacterial infections and amoebiasis, forcing families to spend exorbitantly on clean water. Manish G, a 67-year-old resident, revealed that water tests in Dec detected presence of EColi and coliform bacteria, raising serious health concerns. "Many senior citizens, including myself, have fallen sick repeatedly. Recovery is slow, and the infections are severe," he said.
Residents are paying Rs 1,420 for 12,000 litres of tanker water and Rs 500 for 4,500 litres. Some apartment complexes require up to five tankers of 12,000 litres and seven tankers of 4,500 litres per day, amounting to Rs 71,000 per month just for clean water. "Each family is shelling out anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.2 lakh per month for water. We are forced to pay because of pollution caused by BBMP's negligence," said Kritika Arora, a resident of Chikkanagamangala.
Senior BBMP officials visited the site and assured the residents that BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath would convene a meeting within a week to discuss possible resolutions. "The relocation of the plant will only be considered once the four integrated waste management parks, which were previously promised, become fully operational," said a senior BBMP official.