The locality of Sanjaynagar is known for the prominent educational institutions it plays host to.
A small road called the D Rajgopal Road connects Sanjaynagar to the rest of Bangalore. In one of the empty sites in the locality lies a heap of garbage from approximately 30,000 residents living in the area. The residents of 60 feet road that is also known as the Kalpana Chawla Road are facing a lot of hassles due to this.
A pack of stray dogs scrounge the litter for food. Also, the area is infested with flies and mosquitoes. Which in turn pose a threat to the health of the residents of the area. Several rats are also seen weaving in and out of the dump site. The peril this unhygienic region can create seem to have been forgotten by the authorities.
Anusha N, a resident of the area said, “I have been living in the area from the past eight years and the state has been the same.” She further mentioned that initially for the first few years she used to complain to the concerned authorities. “Even though the governments changed, the condition here is still the same,” she added.
Close to the site lies the most important bus stop for the people here — the Bhoopsandra bus stop. Voicing the problems of the pedestrians, Sri Kala said, “ If they were to clear out the area around the garbage, we would have more space to walk. Due to the foul smell most of us have to cover our faces while crossing the spot. Also, many people use it as an urinal, adding to the stench of the place.”
The local corporator of the area, N M Krishnamurthy spoke to City Express. At first he seemed clueless. After enlightening him of the problem he said, “The problem is with the garbage collection authorities and not with us. It is a problem we see not only here in this area but that we see it everywhere in Bangalore.”
He also added that he would ensure that the area would be cleared of garbage by tomorrow afternoon.
Upon contacting an official concerned with the Solid Waste Management (SWM) of the BBMP, he said (on the conditions of anonymity), “It could be more informative for us to contact the zonal officer. The zonal health officer for the area, Prabhakar said, “We clear the garbage everyday. The BBMP vans do not dump it but the residents do.” When City Express inspected the spot, we observed that a BBMP van passed by it without any reaction to the garbage.