Thousands hit streets in Belagavi demanding Turmuri dump relocation

Caption: Villagers of Belagavi taluk, including Turmuri, staged a massive protest in Belagavi on FridayBelagavi: Thousands of villagers from 12 villages of Belagavi taluk, including Turmuri, staged a massive protest in Belagavi on Friday, demanding the immediate relocation of the garbage disposal unit set up near Turmuri village by the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC). The protesters alleged that the solid waste processing unit at Turmuri village, located about 10 km from the city, is causing severe health problems for residents of the surrounding villages, besides polluting the environment.Villagers from Turmuri and nearby villages such as Bachi, Kallehol, Hindalga, Ambewadi, Mannur, Bekkinakere, Gojaga, Basurte, Konewadi, Uchgaon and Sulaga, in a protest from Sardar Ground, marched to Channamma Circle. The protesters displayed placards against the Turmuri waste disposal unit along the protest route and shouted slogans against the district administration and the state govt.Speaking on the occasion, village leaders said that Belagavi generates around 250 tonnes of waste every day, all of which is sent to the Turmuri plant. The Turmuri site, spread across 26.7 hectares, started as a landfill in 2006. In 2007, BCC partnered with a private company to manage operations. Villagers from Turmuri and nearby areas have been opposing the site since it began in 2006. Villagers complain of health problems, foul smell, groundwater pollution and reduced farm productivity. Rural communities are unfairly bearing the burden of city waste.The protesters then marched to the deputy commissioner's office and staged a sit-in there as well, shouting slogans against the district administration and the state govt.The leaders of the protesters said that polluting the villages around Belagavi in the name of a smart city is an anti-democratic move. It is not right to sacrifice the lives of rural people and rob them of their livelihoods, and to exploit farmers, labourers, women and the helpless in the name of development. They complained that the Turmuri garbage disposal unit is polluting the ground, water and air, and is making the lives of the villagers miserable. They demanded that the district administration and the state govt immediately relocate the Turmuri waste disposal unit.Deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan, who arrived in the area, accepted the memorandum from the protesters and said that there is currently no plan to shut or shift the facility, citing an investment of crore. However, he assured the protesters that he would discuss the matter with the people's representatives and officials and try to find a solution to the problem. DC Roshan invited 10 of the protesters to visit his office to discuss the matter.