Government departments to face notices over waste clearance
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Friday directed the Commissioners of the civic bodies to issue notices to government departments that fail to
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Friday directed the Commissioners of the civic bodies to issue notices to government departments that fail to clean their premises and surrounding areas. Chairing a virtual review meeting on the Tyajyadinda Swatantra, or ‘Freedom from Waste’, campaign across the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits, the Minister said all government offices within the city must mandatorily remove waste from their premises and adjoining areas. Gowda said that the drive had gathered momentum since its launch on August 1.
Between August 1 and August 6, civic bodies have cleared 10,056 tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste from 453 public locations across Bengaluru. Officials informed the meeting that 3,022 illegal C&D waste dumping sites have been identified across the city, containing an estimated 59,823 tonnes of debris. Gowda also instructed officials to ensure the uninterrupted disposal of debris at designated quarry sites during the monsoon and to prevent fresh illegal dumping at locations that have already been cleared.
He said C&D waste must be disposed of only at government-designated sites. The Minister said marshals deployed at disposal sites should be provided with shelter, drinking water, and food, while registers must be maintained to record the movement of tipper trucks. At present, 54 tipper trucks and 18 heavy machines are engaged in waste clearance operations across the city’s five municipal corporations. The Minister asked officials to deploy additional tippers. Raising concerns over operational delays, Mr. Gowda said restrictions imposed by the traffic police on the movement of tipper trucks during peak hours were affecting waste clearance.
He directed GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao to hold discussions with senior traffic police officials to facilitate uninterrupted movement of vehicles engaged in the campaign. The Minister also asked officials to coordinate with railway authorities to expedite cleanliness work on railway land, saying progress had been slower than expected despite earlier directions.
The BriefWire