BENGALURU: With a series of public holidays due to Durga Puja, Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami, garbage has yet again piled up at all the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) markets. As officials concerned are on holiday, customers and shopkeepers are forced to put up with the stink and unhygienic conditions.
The worst-affected areas are City Market, Wilson Garden, Rajajinagar, K R Puram, R T Nagar, Ganganagar, Malleswaram, Jayanagar, Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi among others.
In most of these areas, footpaths are blocked by waste from plantain stalks and leaves, flowers, pumpkins and other green waste. As pourakarmikas are on holiday too in some areas even door-to-door collection of waste did not happen.
Residents of Chinnaiyanpalya, Wilson Garden, Lakkasandra, Someshwaranagara and Banaswadi say as they are unable to keep the waste inside their homes, and they have been dumping it outside.
“For the last three days, waste is not being collected from homes. With the protest by villagers of Chigarenahalli in Doddballapur against dumping of waste in their villages a few days back, the Palike is facing a new problem. Though civic officials were able to convince villagers that the burden on their area will be reduced soon, still, there is a fear that such protests may erupt any time,” said M Z Ali, Vice-president, Wilson Garden Residents’ Welfare Association.
N Venkatesh, President of Maruthi Sevanagar Residents Welfare Association in Banaswadi Sub-Division area, said that after the day’s business traders have left behind plantain leaves, mango leaves, pumpkins and other green waste on the road.
“This has added to the quantum of garbage. Each house is having to shell out `100 for us to organise a private contractor to collect the waste,” he said.
‘Usual Affair’
BBMP Commissioner G Kumar Naik said it was usual for waste to collect after festivals. He said all the joint commissioners had been directed to have a direct link with farmers to take away such waste for the purpose of manure.
“The Solid Waste Management Department has been asked to take care of such issues and ensure that no waste is left over in city corners,” Naik said.
BBMP chief engineer (solid waste management) M R Venkatesh, however, said that garbage was being cleared across the city. He said garbage has not been cleared effectively from only a few market areas as the quantum of garbage has increased due to the festival.
BBMP Market In-charge Deputy Commissioner (DC) K Mathai is of the opinion that it was the nexus between a few officials and the garbage contractors that was behind the mess in market area.”I have asked the engineers concerned to file a case and also terminate the contract. Soon I will also write a detailed report in this regard,”he said.
Diwakar, President of SKR Market Flower Merchants’ Association said, “The DC earlier had imposed a penalty of `50,000 penalty on contractors for failing to clear waste from market areas as they were not following solid waste management rules. This should be done again as over 50 tonnes of waste has piled up over the last three days. The market area alone has generated about 10 tonnes of waste,” he said.