Overflowing garbage bins have become common in Tumkur. For over a month now, garbage has not been collected from the 96 containers placed in different parts of the city because the Tumkur City Municipal Council has no place to dump the solid waste.
Tumkur city is spread across 51.89 sq. km and has a population of 3.3 lakh. There are 40,968 non-slum households and 24,432 slum households that generate 114 tonnes of solid waste a day.
With the garbage spilling over onto the roads in Tumkur, citizens are inconvenienced by the stink. The situation has only worsened with the arrival of the monsoon. Even localities such as Gandhinagar, CSI Layout, Gokula and Someshwarapuram are not free from the problem.
Sunitha, a resident of Gandhinagar, told The Hindu , “We cover our nose and mouth to avoid the foul smell.” Uzra Banu, a resident of Nazarabad, said, “I fear that my children might fall sick if I send them to play outside as the garbage is littered near our house.” President of the CMC N. Yashoda said that talks were being held to find a place to set up a dumping yard.
Member of the CMC K.P. Mahesh alleged that officials concerned were responsible for the problem. Councillors were avoiding visiting their wards fearing a backlash from the people, he added.
Commissioner of the CMC Anurag Tiwari said a proposal had been sent to the Government to set up an advanced waste disposal unit at Seebi near Sira Road in the district.