Done By The Daily Fix

In the absence of guidelines, organic waste management in Indian cities is at the mercy of entrepreneurs offering instant solutions

- Vibha Varshney & Smita Ramanathan

IS IT a technical glitch or a fraud in broad daylight? wonder the residents of Salarpuria Symphony apartments in Bengaluru as a swanky machine gathers dust in the corner. The residents’ association, which is committed to keeping the housing complex clean and green, had purchased the machine some two years ago. “We bought it from Aruna Green Ventures in Bengaluru which had assured us that the machine would churn out instant compost,” says Sudhakar Shanmukham, a resident. “But all that the 9 lakh machine produces is ash.”

While selling the machine, Aruna Green Ventures had also promised to buy back the output at 1 per kg. But it stopped procuring after the initial purchase of 2,000 kilograms without giving any explanation. In fact, the officials did not respond to our calls when the machine broke down and started billowing smoke, Shanmukham says. The association has now stopped using the machine. It has instead hired a contractor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to dispose of the waste. When contacted by Down To Earth, officials with Aruna Green Ventures refused to talk about the machine.