BENGALURU: The residents of AECS Layout, located near the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on New BEL Road, are a harried lot. A line of empty sites next to ISRO have been converted into a dump yard and the area has not only become an eyesore, but also poses health risks.
According to residents, the property is under legal dispute and as a case is pending in the Supreme Court, the area cannot be cordoned off by setting up a fence. Ramesh Dutt, president of AECS Layout Residents’ Welfare Association, whose house is located adjacent to the property, said the repeated pleas and warnings to other residents not to dump garbage there have fallen on deaf ears.
“The Centre had allocated the land to ISRO but at the same time, it was allotted by the state government for the formation of AECS Layout. The case is in the Supreme Court, which has given a temporary ruling that there will not be any construction there,” he told City Express.
Dutt said given the SC ruling, the authorities cannot do anything. “We have been fighting for the resolution of this issue. This place has become an eyesore and poses severe health problems. Mosquitoes are common here and there is a stink all the time,” he said. As it is an open space,people have started to defecate there as well, he added.
Usually, residents dump garbage here in the late hours of the day. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has fined a few people, but this has made little difference. “The garbage is taken away in the morning. By night, it is full of trash again. It is a cycle,” Dutt said.
‘BBMP to blame’
Kala Sundar, another resident, tells a different story. She believes that it is the BBMP that is actually dumping garbage there.
“Though there are a few people dumping garbage here, it is mostly the BBMP that is to blame. They use the spot as a place to collect garbage and segregate it. As a result, the place is always dirty. When we question the workers, they ask us what they can do. They say they don’t have any other place to segregate the waste at. That isn’t our problem, is it? So now, residents also ask themselves why they cant dump waste there if the BBMP does,” she said.
Kala also said the restaurants located on New BEL Road dump a lot of waste at the property in the early and late hours.
“They (restaurant owners) don’t want to pay the BBMP for the excess garbage they generate. So they come here in the middle of the night and dump large quantities of waste. Only the BBMP and other authorities can stop them from doing so,” she said.
Mayor's promise: When contacted, mayor B N Manjunatha Reddy said local garbage collection centres are a problem in the city.
“It is not just here that there is a problem. This issue exists in my ward as well. Though such sites may be used for collection and segregation, the workers must ensure that the location is maintained well and is not full of litter. And if residents segregate garbage at home, this whole problem goes away. I will visit Yelahanka zone on Wednesday to inspect a few works. I will take a look there and ensure that the problem is addressed,” he said.