Online petitions followed by complaints to Bruhat Benagluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) health inspectors, the local engineer, Solid Waste Management Department officials and even to their councillor, the residents of Jarganahalli on Kanakapura Main Road have explored every avenue to get an empty land cleared of garbage being dumped by the civic body every day.
Frustrated with the level of civic apathy, residents, who have been trying to solve the problem for two years, have now threatened to take their protest to the streets.
“The BBMP has turned the land into a garbage transfer point. Even the footpaths are covered with garbage, and at times the waste is set on fire, releasing toxic fumes. There are lot of apartments and schools in the vicinity. It has become impossible to keep our windows open,” said Abdul Aleem, a resident of HM Tambourine, an apartment near the dumping site.
Cleaned twice
Residents said they tried cleaning the site twice, but the very next day it was filled with garbage. “We roped in Let’s be the Change, an NGO, to clean up and paint the place in October, 2017. In April this year we worked with our pourakarmikas to clear the garbage, but the waste was back,” Mr. Aleem added.
The stench from the place is unbearable, said another resident.
“One can’t even wait for two minutes at the spot as the smell is nauseating,” said Sindhu Gopalakrishnan, who picks up her child from the bus stop everyday. It is not just the BBMP which is dumping garbage. Now, nearby meat shops and eateries have found a convenient spot to discard the waste, she added.
Once a lake?
Residents also found a document proving the land was once a lake. “We found one BBMP map which shows a lake existed here. We are trying to get more proof to put a stop to the dumping. The BBMP has promised to act soon, but if it doesn’t, residents and children of the neighbourhood will stage a demonstration,” said Mr. Aleem.
Accepting that BBMP contractor lorries were dumping garbage on the roadside, Santhosh Kumar, Assistant Executive Engineer, BBMP Ward 185, said the civic body would ensure this did not continue. However, he denied that the vacant land had been turned into a transit spot. “We are not dumping on the land. It is the residents and local shops. We have only been clearing the garbage,” he said.
