Garbage trucks stranded in city

Garbage trucks stranded in city

The Hindu

Villagers stop dumping of garbage

# Drivers of over 280 trucks on strike
# A driver assaulted, vehicle damaged on Kanakapura Road
# Drivers say only government intervention can solve the problem

BANGALORE: More than 280 garbage disposal trucks operated by contractors for Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) were stranded on roads in different parts of the city following stiff resistance by villagers to dump garbage.

Citing assault and damage to vehicles, drivers of these vehicles reportedly refused to move to their destinations with packed garbage of about 1,800 tonnes.

Chief Health Officer of BMP Tandva Murthy told The Hindu that no such thing has come to his notice.

Union

Bangalore Mahanagara Swachchate Lorry Malikara Haagu Guttigedarara Sangha general secretary S. Balasubramaniam told The Hindu that BMP was indifferent to the problems being faced by garbage disposal trucks on contract. He said drivers have formed a union after irate villagers assaulted some of them continuously in recent days.

Today, they refused to dump garbage after another driver was assaulted on Kanakapura Road and the vehicle was damaged, he said.

The villagers were allowing trucks to dump garbage on their lands earlier after taking money.

He said BMP was earlier arranging garbage disposal on Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) land during rains, which now has been stopped.

Intervention

Charging BMP with inability to handle garbage disposal, Mr. Balasubramaniam said only government intervention can solve the problem.

Although BMP claims to have identified dump yards Mavallipura and Mandur, it has become a hollow claim as it is not showing the place to contractors, he regretted.

Every contractor was incurring thousands of rupees expenditure to lift trucks by cranes after the trucks got struck in sludge while disposing garbage, he added.