On paper, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has the ideal waste management plans. However, reality is very different. The door-to-door collection of garbage that was introduced to prevent indiscriminate dumping has not helped.
Residents in many parts of the city say that garbage collection is not only irregular, it is non-existent in some bylanes. Hence, residents claim they are forced to empty their garbage on vacant plots. Some vacant plots transforming into large dumping areas are visible in many areas of the city as people find it the easiest way to get rid of the daily garbage in the absence of an efficient garbage collection mechanism.
Residents of Shivajinagar lamented that the pourakarmikas don't come to collect the garbage and instead stand at the end of the street. Wassuddin, a shopkeeper in the area, said that owing to a leakage on the street, the garbage collection vans skip that lane. “We are now forced to throw the waste near the main road,” he admitted.
Another resident, J. Sheela, complained that the pourakarmikas did not come regularly. “We leave the garbage out on the doorstep to be picked up. But when the pourakarmikas do not turn up, the stray dogs drag it and strew it all over the place,” she said.
She said that since the pourakarmikas are not equipped with the carts, they are forced to carry the heavy plastic bins. “I sympathise with them. It is the responsibility of the civic body to ensure that the city is clean,” she added.
More complaints
Residents of Frazer Town also complained that pourakarmikas demand money repeatedly despite being irregular.
On the other part of the city, near Raheja Apartments on Magadi Main Road, is a dump which is cleared every day by the BBMP trucks. However, the trucks only clear the dump and there is no garbage collection. Putte Gowda N.H., a shopkeeper, said a pourakarmika comes once a week to sweep the area. “It has been two years since I saw a pourakarmika going around with a cart to collect garbage in the area,” he claimed.
When contacted, Shivajinagar councillor Fareeda's husband, Ishtiyak, said the garbage collection van comes very early in the morning. “Residents miss the van and then throw the garbage on the streets. However, I have gone around the area and requested people to not throw garbage on the streets,” he claimed.
BBMP officials claimed ignorance and maintained that they had received no complaints with regard to irregular garbage collection. “People may contact the BBMP's zonal offices and lodge complaints. We will take action and ensure that the garbage collection is regular,” they added.
