Raising a stink again

Persistent problem

It’s been a while since Bengaluru has been facing a problem with garbage. With strong discourses in the air, the issue has been a cause of concern but looks like they are all going waste. An important area in terms of leisure spots and hangouts, Church Street has been a topic of discussion for its unrepaired roads and pavements and the stink caused by carelessly thrown garbage. But it’s not just commuters who are facing a problem — business enterprises in the area are also bearing the brunt of this negligence.

Rajkumar, one of the shopkeepers in the area, says, “It gets really difficult for us to run our business here. We are always surrounded by a rotten stench. It’s been more than three days since the garbage  has been collected. It remains mounted in front of my shop and lies untouched with every passing day. The garbage truck makes its rounds but the collectors have been totally ignored this side of the road.”

He points out that the street used to have trash bins a while back, but were later removed. He exclaims, “Earlier, there used to be dustbins attached to each pillar and the garbage truck used to come four times a day and collect the waste from all these bins.

But today, there are no dustbins allocated to dispose waste. Whatever be the reason, I think along with the government, even the public should act responsibly. What we generally see is people throwing wrappers, papers or any kind of waste wherever they see a heap of garbage. What they don’t realise is that this is adding to the pile that’s already there.”

With some of the most important commercial areas like Koramangala and Avenue Road (to name a few) topping the list of places facing garbage problems in the City, the condition of Church Street is not a new one.

Facing a similar issue, Naseer, another shopkeeper on Church Street, says, “Due to the constant smell, people don’t come to my shop to buy anything. I am incurring a heavy loss. It looks like all the waste from around Church Street is brought and dumped in front of my shop!” In his opinion, the blame not only falls on the officials and the management but also on the public for not making a conscious effort to keep the City’s streets clean.

Naseer adds, “The waste from the hotels nearby, which includes animal and vegetable waste, is dumped on the road and no one cleans this. We have complained about this several times but it doesn’t look like the management is interested in changing anything. The garbage vehicle is also irregular in collecting the waste. However, I feel the public here is equally responsible for this situation. We can’t always blame the government.”

The rising garbage is not the only issue here. Unrepaired pavements and roads add to the plight of the people. Akriti, who is a regular visitor to Church Street due to her work, says, “First of all, there are no proper pavements for people to walk on. Most of them are broken or unrepaired. The little bit of what is left is covered with garbage. I always find waste dumped on the pavements. To avoid the garbage, people start walking on the road. Again, there is no proper road where people can drive. The entire stretch has more potholes than road itself! Since I commute by car, it becomes difficult because there is literally no way to avoid these potholes. It’s high time that the management and the public start taking strict steps and a conscious effort towards improving the situation.”