Will BBMP transform KGF, Madhugiri into dump yards?

 

Though some places were identified, people and environmentalists staged intense protests as the landfills places like Mandur had made the surrounding areas not fit for human living as the residents are under constant fear of being affected by various diseases.

 

After Mandur, Mavallipura and surrounding villages in and around Bengaluru that are spoiled due to indiscriminate dumping of waste, the villagers and environmentalists fear that the BBMP's lack of commitment will destroy the village life at KGF in Kolar and Madhugiri in Tumakuru.

 

Although there is no opposition to this proposed plan at Madhugiri for the dumping of waste for generating, power, compost and methane gas, the villagers from KGF are not willing to buy this plan from BBMP.

 

The Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC), which put forth this idea of acquiring 1000 acres of barren land from Bharath Gold Mines Limited (BGML) said that the idea was to set clusters and create a green belt in surrounding the processing plant.

 

"The special officers were sent to identify land. As BGML was shut from 2001, there is a potential to use 1,000 acres from 12,500-acre land owned by the BGML. But now the idea has been stalled following the request from Kolar MP KH Muniyappa against the plan. The files, however, have been sent to the Chief Minister’s office for consideration. If the government takes a decision, no one can stop the project. The project will not spoil the environment as latest technology will be used," said Kenche Gowda, Chairman of KCDC.

 

Criticising the move by the KCDC which works for BBMP, President of BGML Workers Union, Jayakumar says, “About 1,500 people have died of lung disease in KGF due to unscientific mining activity. Now with the opening of a waste processing plant where 1,000 tonnes of waste will be sent from Bengaluru City, there will be more health hazard.”

 

"The BGML workers wanted to review the plan to use this place for safe mining activities. The KCDC says it will employ the local people by opening a waste processing and energy plant. But KGF has more potential in the form of gold than processing waste. To re-start the BGML, MoU was signed between Industries department and JMJ Minerals Limited for Rs 500 crore project. That is a better option than BBMP’s waste plant," said Jayakumar. 

 

He also said that the parallel administration- both in the state in the Centre- do not want KGF to progress and hence whenever efforts are made to restart our mines, there is some or the other issue.

 

"In 2011, the union government wanted to float a global tender to review mines, but the elements in administration sabotaged that plan and decided to allow nuclear waste to be dumped here. After we tagged protest the plan was dropped and the government asked the state government to take care of the land. Now the same parallel administration in state government wants to kill our efforts to review BGML," he said.

 

Immediately after the news about the dumping of waste was spread in KGF, the villagers and residents held protests and warned the BBMP about a violent protest.

 

"We have seen what happened to villages is Bengaluru and surrounding places that helped the BBMP to dump its waste. If we allow them to use our land to dump waste, our lands will also be polluted; groundwater will deplete. Our animals and children will suffer from various diseases. The processing has to be done in a systematic manner and BBMP has a track record of not managing its unit properly, and the same may repeat here. So we will not allow them to come inside KGF,” said V Velayudham, Shree Shakti Association, General Secretary and a writer.

 

He further added that, if the plant is allowed to come up here, then 1.65 lakh people living in the KGF will have to suffer.

 

Amidst all the chaos following BBMP's decision to dump its waste in KGF, Kolar Deputy Commissioner Dr Trilok Chandra says, he is not aware of any such decision as he has not received any official communication in this regard so far.