Would jailing official make you work, HC asks Bangalore civic body

Bangalore : With the garbage crisis in the city persisting, Karnataka High Court Tuesday wondered whether sending a top civic body official to jail would make them clear up the mess.

Slamming the Karnataka government and the civic administration, Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen warned that contempt of court proceedings would be initiated if the civic body and the state pollution control board failed to present a plan within two days.

“If BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike or Greater Bangalore City Corporation) and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) do not come out with a plan to address the garbage menace in the city, the bench will issue contempt notices to both bodies day after tomorrow (Thursday),” Justice Sen said.

He observed that the BBMP and KSPCB might act only if the court sent a top official to jail.

The rap came during a hearing of a public interest petition by Bangalore advocate G.R. Mohan seeking supersession of BBMP for not ending the garbage mess.

Justice Sen had Nov 6 given the government two weeks to work out a solution to the crisis that has become severe since July following opposition from residents around three major landfills on the city’s outskirts over dumping garbage in the area.

Bangalore, with a population of over eight million, daily generates around 5,000 tonnes of garbage which was being dumped at Mavallipura, Mandur and Terra Firma, all about 45 km north of the city.

In August, Bangalore became a garbage city with residents around the landfills disallowing dumping.

They were, however, persuaded to allow dumping for a few more months with promises to improve their living conditions and steps to check harmful effects of dumped garbage.

However, protests against dumping have resumed resulting in garbage being intermittently cleared in several areas of Bangalore since the beginning of November.