Jarganahalli residents pool money to remove piled up garbage

On July 7, CE reported that HMT Apartment residents spent their own money to install CCTV cameras. Through this, they caught the BBMP’s auto tippers dumping waste at the spot.
The garbage dump near HM Tambourine Apartment on Kanakapura Road  l Shriram BN
The garbage dump near HM Tambourine Apartment on Kanakapura Road l Shriram BN

BENGALURU: That ill-scented welcome on the national highway, dogs fighting for animal bones, a huge bury of non-vegetarian food waste, stench that makes people faint on the spot... this is the everyday story of residents living near Kanakapura road...That’s an online fund-raising petition by residents of Jarganahalli, JP Nagar. Fed up with the inaction by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) despite several complaints and petitions, the residents have come together and pooled in close to Rs 1 lakh to clean up a mound of garbage on a vacant plot, spilling on to the main road.

On July 7, CE reported that HMT Apartment residents spent their own money to install CCTV cameras. Through this, they caught the BBMP’s auto tippers dumping waste at the spot. On July 24, CE reported how the same residents complained of continued dumping by other citizens and hoteliers at night, and how they had written to MLA Krishnappa, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad, Mayor Sampath Raj and other senior officials seeking a solution.

Come September, and no resolution in sight, residents of seven apartments got together and pooled in `84,377 (and counting). Their aim is to cross `1 lakh to clean up the place themselves.“We spent two years following up on the issue and are sick of it. We realised our time is equal to money. Instead of us spending so much time running after BBMP officials, we can get the problem fixed ourselves. They were running away from the problem citing litigation over the plot of land,” said resident Abhilash Kumar (name changed on request). “BBMP is willing to co-operate and have pitched in `10,000, besides providing a contractor who will help clear the mound of waste. We have roped in an NGO, Let’s Be The Change, to help out,” he said.

CLEAN, FENCE, BEAUTIFY
“We began cleaning with compactors and JCB diggers on Monday. This will be followed by fencing the plot using 12-foot-high metal sheets. We will paint the place and put flower pots too. The supposed owner of the plot kept promising to clean up and we were tired of waiting for him to get to it,” says Abhilash, pointing out that one-time clean-ups by ward officials did not suffice either. Mahesh, health inspector of Jarganahalli ward, says, “While this spot was no longer used as a garbage transfer point, dumping used to happen at night by residents and hoteliers nearby.

We used to clean at night, but the waste returned the next day. We have joined hands with residents of Jarganahalli and Yelachenahalli wards, along with an NGO, to clean up.”He adds, “We will put up a board asking people not to dump garbage, and about health risks of doing so. The footpath will be cleaned as well.”

The logic behind the high wall is to make it impossible to throw waste. Mahesh says that the BBMP plans to host a music programme to raise awareness.“For two months, other BBMP staffers and I will conduct night and day duty inspections to spot anyone littering, and will penalise them,” Mahesh adds.This enthusiasm from officials, though welcomed by citizens, seems unhelpful as the tax payers are at the end of the day spending their own money and getting the job done themselves.

Santosh Kumar, assistant executive engineer (solid waste management), south division, says, “We have been unable to track down the owner of this property. We don’t even know if it is government or private land. It is under litigation and it appears that there are four to five people fighting over it.”Santosh has written to the revenue department to locate the rightful owner but says he has not received any response. He and other officials feel they have been misguided by the supposed owner of this land, who promised a clean-up.

“If this were government land, we would have resolved the issue immediately and got it cleaned up. Since there was a legal battle going on, we needed to be careful or the owners could send us a notice,” says Santosh. “In the interest of public health, we are helping them get this cleaned. If we work as a united front, no owner can send anyone a legal notice.”

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