The buck stops here...

Garbage has become one of the deep-rooted problems of the City.

   Apart from being strewn around everywhere, it can be frequently found below the Metro Rail, on the dividers and even flyovers.

   With no one taking responsibility for the piles lying in these places, the trash either remains there or ends up getting burnt by the BBMP.

The space between the pillars on the Metro stretch between Indiranagar and
Ulsoor is currently being used to dump garbage. And that’s not all! 

Even from Kanakapura Road to Banashankari, where the Metro construction is in progress — people are conveniently dumping trash, which then remains unattended for days.

   Under the Dairy Circle and Double Road Flyovers, piles of garbage are a common sight.
The authorities, however, are passing the buck and blaming each other for the mess.
The public, on its part, says that the sight of this trash is very embarrassing. Garima, an engineering student, passes by Banashankari everyday to go to college. She has
seen people dumping garbage at the construction space on the Metro sites.

“I go to Banashankari bus stand regularly and have noticed the mess. It’s embarrassing to see this. Besides, it is not cleared and raises a stink making it unbearable to even stand there. I really wonder how long we will have to tolerate this,” she notes.

Suman, a student, feels that many have started dumping garbage at these places because of the pourakarmikas and garbage collectors, who are not picking up the trash regularly. “The system is just not in place. So people have no choice but to throw trash anywhere and everywhere,” she adds.

In many parts of the City, on the dividers and under the Metro, saplings have been planted by the BBMP and private companies. One wonders if this move will actually stop people from dumping garbage in these places.

Rajeev, a professional, says that the plants under the Metro construction near Lalbagh and South End Circle have kept the garbage at bay to some extent.

“Having said that, it also depends on us as citizens to take some responsibility. We, as individuals, should maintain clean surroundings. Why blame someone else for it,” he asks.
But Karun, a graduate, says that while the effort of planting these saplings in order to make the City greener is thoughtful, one can still see people throwing trash at these places.

“There is an acute shortage of space to dump garbage. Unused places like these become targets and end up causing inconvenience to all. But hopefully, someone will take notice and do something about it,” he adds.

Kumar, a shopkeeper at the Banashankari market, agrees that people have no choice but to dump garbage in these places since there is no other space for it.

“The garbage collectors are not regular. Most of the waste consists of rotten vegetables and fruits. So one can’t keep these inside the shop while waiting for the collector,” he adds.

But not all are of the same belief. Many like Anusha, a professional, feel that planting more saplings will help.

“Since most of these places are unused with nothing out there, people make use of them to dump garbage. But now, if people see plants there, they may stop using the space. It’s just a matter of being sensitive to our surroundings,” she adds.