Bengaluru garbage trucks blocked; DK Shivakumar warns of 'dumping waste at BJP MLAs' doorsteps'

• Villagers block Bengaluru garbage trucks, sparking waste crisis
• Deputy CM warns waste may be dumped at BJP MLAs' houses
• Government plans new waste sites and addresses legal issues

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Bengaluru Deputy Chief Minister and Development Minister D K Shivakumar accused BJP legislators of using “blackmailing tactics” after villagers blocked garbage trucks from entering waste processing units near the city.

He warned that if the protests continue, the government would be forced to dump the waste in front of BJP MLAs’ houses or near the street where the BJP state office is located.

A crisis appears to be developing over the disposal of Bengaluru’s waste after residents near Bellahalli in Mahadevapura constituency and Chigaranahalli in Doddaballapur constituency stopped garbage trucks from entering designated processing and dumping yards.

Villagers in Bellahalli have been blocking the trucks since Tuesday. Residents of Chigaranahalli, along with Doddaballapur BJP MLA Dheeraj Muniraju, on Wednesday stopped garbage vehicles from reaching the local waste plant.

Muniraju said that residents have long opposed the waste-processing and dumping facility at Chigaranahalli. He said they had even approached the courts earlier to challenge the plant. “Our demand is that waste should not be processed or dumped here,” he told media, adding that locals have raised concerns for several years.

Shivakumar responded, saying that BJP MLAs were trying to pressure the government to secure more funds for their constituencies. “I will be forced to initiate action under the Essential Services Maintenance Act. May it be an MLA or anyone else who stopped the trucks, we will be merciless and dump the waste in front of their houses or near the BJP office,” he said.

He further added that if BJP leaders were preventing the disposal of waste, it could be sent to the houses of Leader of Opposition R Ashoka or BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, or to the BJP office itself.

The Deputy Chief Minister also said that the present government is using the same waste disposal facilities that were in place during the previous administration. “Who are they blackmailing? We should be able to dispose of the waste properly,” he said.

When asked about reports that a recent accident had triggered the protests in Bellahalli, Shivakumar admitted there might have been a mistake but said stopping garbage trucks was not the right response. He added that the government has purchased two new sites for waste disposal, floated tenders for processing units, and is addressing legal issues related to the facilities.