BENGALURU : Residents residing in and around JP Nagar 8th and 9th Phases have been facing the issue of fumes from garbage being burnt around the area for the past two weeks now.No one is, however, able to locate the source of the fumes, says Sudharkar GK, a resident of an apartment complex in JP Nagar 9th Phase. “What we have been trying to do is muster a number of people in the area and try and find the source for this nuisance. It is especially bad for people living in the lower floors of the apartment,” says Sudhakar.
He and other people from nearby apartments are also trying to locate the source of the fumes, but the heavy rains in the last few days have prevented them from doing so. In the fight to get rid of this problem, Sudhakar and other residents have signed a petition, which started over a month ago on airalert.com, an online campaign platform for air pollution issues, so as to get authorities to take notice and take action. Titled ‘Stop garbage burning in Bangalore’, the petition says there is a need to crack down on open burning of garbage in the city by holding offenders accountable and ensuring strict enforcement of penalties.
It has been addressed to Sarfaraz Khan, joint commissioner, Solid Waste Management, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), and has already been signed by around over 600 people. The petition notes that while Bengaluru has dedicated departments to deal with disposing off waste, burning of garbage takes place rampantly, especially at night, in areas such as Whitefield, KR Puram, Bellandur, RR Nagar and Jayamahal. Despite notifications by the BBMP against it, as well as various laws put in place by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Karnataka Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) imposing fines, nothing has been done so far.
MS Sufiyan, a resident of Sampagiramnagar, is experienced in going to authorities about the issue. “There is burning of garbage in the area daily. In fact, one day, we caught a BBMP worker himself burning garbage. We have asked authorities to take action, and brought the matter to their notice several times. But the burning continues,” he says.