Garbage piles return to Baiyappanahalli’s NGEF plot, raise health concerns

Bengaluru: Unchecked garbage dumping in the backyard of the Baiyappanahalli metro station is raising concerns among residents of nearby communities, who fear a health crisis could break out before the full force of the monsoon hits the city.

In July last year, DH had reported the same issue, which had turned the area into a smelly dumping ground.

An empty plot of land, roughly 200x30 metres, meant to be developed as the NGEF Park — bordered by railway lines to the south and adjoining a Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) property and the Karnataka High Court Staff Quarters Complex near the Baiyappanahalli metro station — has now become a dump yard for garbage and debris.

The BBMP had acted swiftly to clear blackspots following the DH report last year, but the situation appears to have worsened this time, with new garbage blackspots cropping up along the road leading to the area.

When DH visited the area on Thursday, residents expressed concerns over persistent garbage dumping outside their apartment premises, particularly at the empty plot. The dumping, they noted, has outpaced clearance efforts. Besides the empty plot, small garbage piles have spilled onto the road at the junction leading to Temple Road. A compound wall has also been breached due to accumulated mud, debris, and leftover plastic waste.

"The problem has gotten worse now. A one-time cleanup drive is not very effective. Authorities must ensure regular sweeping, blackspot clearance, and daily garbage collection. Last year, we complained and managed to get the BBMP to clean up the area," said Srikanth, a resident of Jal Vayu Towers.

A resident of Krishnayyana Palya, who preferred anonymity, said that garbage trucks do not follow a regular schedule. "People end up dumping waste in the growing piles because the trucks are unreliable. Residents often discard plastic waste late at night to avoid getting caught during the day," she said.

BBMP promises action

The local BBMP Assistant Executive Engineer said they were working on clearing the blackspots.

"The problem is that residents are not giving us segregated wet waste. We could not clear the garbage collected over the past few days because the rain posed a problem, but we will clear the collected waste shortly," he said.