JOIN USGarbage mounds dot City Market
Mounds of garbage scattered across the City Market have become a daily nightmare for people in and around the area.
The trucks arrive in the evening to collect waste. But garbage mysteriously reappear the next morning, according to shopkeepers.
The piled-up waste often catch fire causing much discomfort to those around.
“A few days ago, flames from the garbage went so high that it even singed a tree nearby and burnt several telephone wires,” said Raju, whose shop is located beside a huge heap on the main road.
There are also health risks involved. Shekelvel, who owns a roofing business in the vicinity, often complains of a throat infection, which he suspects is caused by inhaling poisonous fumes from the waste every day.
“I cough through the day, thanks to the smoke from the burning heap and the unbearable stench,” he said.
Rain aggravates the condition by scattering the waste and creating an unhygienic pool of slush and swamp.
“The waste blocks the roads and we are forced to down shutters,” said Imran, who sells meat at a makeshift stall. “There are also dangers of dengue and infections breaking out,” he adds.
The interiors of the City Market are in worse shape. A huge pile of garbage in front of Mukesh Jain’s shop at Kalasilpalya extension, is an everyday eyesore.
“We clear the garbage and move it to the side,” said Vikram Jain, Mukesh’s cousin who works in the shop. Their shop deals with stainless steel and has to regularly bring in trucks for loading and unloading goods.
“Because of the garbage mound at the entrance of the shop, the trucks cannot enter the road smoothly and almost skid till they nearly topple,” he added.
A few days ago, a traffic jam in the neighbourhood lasted for three hours, only because one of the trucks entering the road where Mukesh’s shop is located, took that much time to get in. Mukesh has written to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike about their plight but no action has been taken so far.
Freedom Park stinks with trash
There was no reprieve from stench for visitors to the Freedom Park in Gandhinagar as truckloads of waste dumped on the nearby Kalidasa Marg remained uncleared on Saturday.
Following complaints by angry residents, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahangara Palike (BBMP) Deputy Commissioner Dr Chandrashekhar visited the dumping yard area on the Kalidasa Marg on Saturday.
Kanayalal Bajaj, a businessman, who lives nearby, said, “We were promised that the garbage dumped here would be cleared. But in the wee hours on Saturday, three to four trucks of garbage was dumped in front of our house. When enquired, the deputy commissioner said that waste from the surrounding areas was dumped here as the trash mounted during the week-long Dasara festival.
Assistant Engineer of Gandhinagar area said: “The ground next to the Freedom Park was the only place available to dump the waste from the surrounding areas for the time being.” On Friday, over 30 truckloads of garbage was dumped in front of the Park. When the residents took the authorities to task, they were told that garbage was dumped here temporarily for segregation purpose.
However, the shopowners at Chickpet were happy as the garbage was shifted from the area. Muthuraj S, a businessman in Balepet, said that two to three trucks came late on Friday night and early Saturday morning and cleared the garbage dumped on the streets of Chickpet.