Repeat Offence : Fire sighted in garbage dump near Kundalahalli Lake three times in a row since December

BENGALURU:Instances of fire in the illegal garbage dump near the recently rejuvenated Kundalahalli Lake in Whitefield, have increased over the past few weeks. This made the locals contact the fire department thrice during the period. Residents of the area have said there have been regular fires at the dump in the last month. Officials from the fire department said ragpickers, who live in huts on the site, have been burning the garbage. 

The dump came up about 8-10 years ago on a 15-20 acre land next to the lake. Consisting of construction waste and debris, the dump began receiving domestic, hospital and office waste on a regular basis. In the last decade the ground was used to play cricket. Now, the garbage dump has grown to the size of a multi-storey building. Two CCTV cameras were installed in December 2018 near the site and a few vehicles dumping waste there. Armed with the footage, he filed an FIR at Whitefield police station, but the case is yet to move forward. 

The lake comes with grave dangers. In the event of a landslide, large parts of the mound will just slide into the lake, shrinking the lake area significantly and polluting it beyond restoration. Local contractors pick up waste from nearby commercial establishments and bring it to the dump. BBMP seems to have sent several notices to the owners of this plot, with no reply, claiming the plot is under litigation.