The Times of India 24.10.2014
Garbage piles up in Mangalore’s corporation’s backyard
MANGALORE:
There’s always darkness below the lamp post, so goes a Kannada adage.
This sits well in the case of the Mangalore City Corporation. For
there’s a huge garbage pile-up, right behind the council hall, near the
mayor’s chamber.
The clean city campaign started with much
fanfare with even Mayor Mahabala Marla wielding the broom a fortnight
ago. Now that’s a forgotten story.
Surprisingly, none in the
corporation have noticed what’s happening in their backyard. A civic
worker, who removes dead leaves at the pavements in and around the
corporation premises, said she was directed by the authorities to dump
the foliage at the empty barricade space behind the city corporation.
Perhaps, the authorities thought that only leaves would be dumped there
and failed to take corrective steps even when other rubbish like
plastic, thermocol, empty beverage packs was dumped there. The thermocol
and plastic is not under the heap of leaves, but on top of the dead
leaves indicating that the spot may soon turn into a dumping ground if
the corporation does not take corrective steps.
When it was
brought to the notice of corporation officials, some were clueless. The
mayor wasn’t aware of this while residents wondered if the MCC will
first put its own backyard in order.
Mahabala Marla, mayor
said: It had not come to my notice. I will look into it so that it is
cleared expeditiously. Santosh Salian, visitor at the corporation said:
It is sad to see the corporation premises becoming a dumping ground for
waste. If they do not keep their backyard clean, how can we expect them
to clear out garbage from streets?