When the Spastics Society of Karnataka, Indiranagar, which caters to children with special needs, was celebrating Independence Day, there was an unpleasant disruption – a sudden stink from across the compound wall.
This, vice-principal Padma Janardhan said, was the boiling point. “We have been suffering for years because of the garbage dumped right outside our compound. There are a couple of other schools in the neighbourhood. We have submitted several memorandums in the past, but to no avail,” she said.
On Wednesday, students, parents and staff from all these schools organised a protest against the apathy of the departments concerned.
“It is not just the residents who dump garbage here. Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) workers use this space to segregate garbage. The truck picks it up once every two or three days. Children with special needs have low immunity and are affected by the hazards arising out of the garbage dump. Mosquitoes and rodents have increased due to it,” Ms. Janardhan said.
“We will wait for 10 days and start a dharna again,” she said.
