Stretching it a little too far

The pile of uncleared garbage opposite the National Games Village (NGV) in Ejipura is a breeding ground for diseases. While the slum located close to it has been contributing heavily to the garbage, the rains make the space unapproachable.

Kumar, a shopkeeper in the area, says, “Garbage gets cleared twice and sometimes thrice a day, yet more garbage piles up within minutes. BBMP does not go house to house to collect garbage but picks up the piles on the streets. They should fix a certain time and let people know that garbage would be picked at that particular time. Since people have the habit of littering wherever its convenient to them, a strict fine should be imposed.”

‘Saahas’, an organisation which is located in Koramangala, works for effective waste management and is supported by BBMP and KSPCB. It collects waste from apartments and offices in Koramangala and the surrounding areas. Says Meenakshi Ravi, communication coordinator, ‘Saahas’. “The waste collected by BBMP from Koramangala goes to the biogas plant which is situated next to our centre. We only get dry waste from the BBMP and as far as Ejipura is concerned, we do not get any waste from BBMP. The problem here is that segregation is not being enforced. Some managements that we work with are trying to segregate the waste but in smaller communities like residential layouts, people are not aware of the segregation process. They end up dumping the waste on the road, which creates a mess. Until and unless the government strictly enforces segregation process, the garbage issue will remain unsolved.”

Lohith V, who often commutes via NGV, says, “It’s the slum dwellers who are dumping the waste on the road. The BBMP also does not have a fixed time to pick up the garbage. The slum-dwellers need to be educated on the consequences of living near the garbage dumping area and how it will affect their health.”

A little behind, right opposite the Commercial Tax Office, there is a problem of a different kind. Here, the remodelling of the RCC Bridge over the storm water drain is being done. While this is intended to prevent the houses from getting flooded, commuting on this stretch has now become extremely difficult. When the water started coming in, following protests by the residents, the authorities decided to remodel the bridge. Although people say this is a good initiative, they worry about the delay in finishing the project. Thanks to the remodelling work, one side of the road is blocked obstructing the easy flow of the traffic. There is chock-a-block traffic during peak hours.

Pedestrians find it difficult to walk on that road as there is no provision for a pathway. In fact, people walk on the median risking their lives. Babu, a shopkeeper, says, “Earlier, the rain water would enter homes and shops and even the roads would get clogged. Hopefully, with this project, the situation is going to be resolved. But the project is underway for nearly four months and is causing a lot of trouble for the public. The pollution and the dust from the construction work is affecting our health and the stink is unbearable. When the officials visited the spot, they said that the project would be completed within 45 days and the residents cooperated too in the hope of finding a long-term solution. But now it has been more than three months and there seems to be no respite. We hope the project gets completed soon.”

BBMP SWD Executive Engineer Govindegowda explains, “Earlier, the pipes would get blocked due to debris. So we are trying to unclog them and create blocks for the easy flow of water. We realise that the construction is causing a little bit of inconvenience but there is no other way for us to complete this project. We will try to finish it as early as possible but it would approximately take another two months or so.”