Spanish firefighters trying to extinguish the fire in an illegal tire dumpyard
Spanish firefighters trying to extinguish the fire in an illegal tire dumpyard in Valdemingimer, 14 km west Madrid, 28 june 2003.CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images [Representational Image]

Another massive blaze broke out at a dump yard near Kundalahalli Lake in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The dump yard, spread across 10 acres, is located adjacent to the lake and several such fires have been reported in the last one year. The land belongs to a political leader.

According to reports, the political leader is planning to build an IT park there. The residents claim that the politician's men are setting the land on fire as to clear the garbage in the area for the proposed IT park.

Kundalahalli Lake
Kundalahalli Lake satallite imagegooglemaps

Years ago, the land used to be a playground for kids but now has been converted into a dump yard used by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). According to locals, commercial establishments dump more waste there than the residents.

On Wednesday, Akhilesh Mishra, a resident, said: "A foul and burnt smell filled offices and we could see dark smoke. We immediately rushed out to find that it was the dump yard on fire again," reported TOI.

In 2018, the locals along with the help of some corporate social responsibility (CSR) groups had installed surveillance systems at the dump yard. They had also filed a case against some people over the matter, but all has been in vain as no further improvement has happened.