Bengaluru: The BBMP’s solid waste management wing has identified and cleared several locations in the city that had become common dumping grounds for construction debris, furniture, dry waste, garbage, electronic waste, and more.
Rajbir Singh, BBMP’s chief marshal, told DH that in the last month, they had cleared 331 such points. He added that the process of identifying additional dumping yards, particularly those used by agencies like Bescom, BMRCL and private builders, is ongoing. “We have identified over 1,000 such points so far. Once we finish this phase, we will begin clearing them,” he said.
The dumping of such waste on footpaths and vacant plots has inconvenienced pedestrians and vehicles.
Residents at risk
In Marathahalli, residents and commuters are raising concerns about an under-construction building encroaching upon the footpath along the service road, Outer Ring Road, for the past six months. Bricks and sand block pedestrian access, forcing people to walk on the busy service road.
Mithilesh from Citizen’s Movement East Bengaluru highlighted similar issues in May and June, when a temporary structure obstructed the footpath. The BBMP demolished the structure, and the builder promised to stop further encroachment, but the issue persisted.
“This is a national highway, a prominent area with a properly constructed footpath. If such violations happen here, imagine the state of internal roads,” Mithilesh said.
Another resident, speaking anonymously, said footpaths along the stretch from the Multiplex bus stop to the Kadubeesanahalli bus stop have been dug up since early November. Debris left near the open gutter obstructs the road, causing dirty water to spill out.
“A woman even fell into the gutter after stepping on unstable debris, mistaking it for the footpath,” the resident said. Despite raising the issue on X and filing a ticket with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), no resolution has been implemented.
A BBMP senior officer said dumping construction and debris waste in open spaces, drains, vacant plots, roadside areas, and quarries violates the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules-2016. Offenders can be fined up to Rs 10,000.