The Hindu 11.12.2010
What the city dumps at their doorstep
| Singsandra residents miffed over foul garbage heap |
SOMETHING ROTTEN:With the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike outsourcing garbage disposal, there are several instances of contractors dumping it anywhere they please.
Okay, your carefully placed garbage has been picked up by god-knows-who and it has vanished from your backyard. Do you stop to wonder where that smelly accumulation has vanished? No? Chances are that it has landed in someone else's backyard.
Disposal of the tonnes of solid waste that is generated in the city is a major bugbear for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Though several initiatives have been introduced for the safe disposal of waste, nothing seems to be changing on the field.
Residents' misery
For the past several months now, residents of AECS Layout C Phase, Singasandra, have had to put up with garbage trucks dumping waste at their doorstep.
They claim that every day, around 20 to 30 trucks dump waste at the abandoned granite quarry opposite the Begur lake.
Jerry George, who lives in an apartment complex, said the garbage is being dumped illegally instead of being disposed of at the BBMP's identified dumping yards. “The garbage is also set alight. There is noxious smoke that spreads around. When it rains, the garbage starts decomposing and the stench envelopes the whole area,” he said.
He said residents are worried about the spread of disease. “There are many young children who live in the area. The illegal dumping is posing a serious health threat to us,” he added.
Another resident, Prasad N., said the garbage burns right through the day. “This illegal dumping has become an everyday activity. The huge pit in the abandoned quarry is being used as a dumping yard.”
Complaint registered
There are serious worries about the groundwater getting polluted. The residents formally registered their complaint and submitted a representation to the Additional Commissioner (in-charge), South Zone, on Thursday. “We have no yet heard from the authorities concerned as yet. We hope that they put an end to the problem,” Mr. Prasad said.
The BBMP officials were not available for comment. When contacted, B.S. Manjunath Reddy, Chairperson of the Standing Committee for Health, said that when the garbage contracts are awarded, they include transporting the garbage and its safe disposal in the designated dumping yard. “There is no excuse for dumping it in an abandoned quarry. It has to find its way to the designated dumping yard,” he said.
Other instances
There are several such arbitrary instances in the city. “We can take action only if residents complain. We can then identify the contractor, issue notice and even blacklist him. We can also seize the vehicles,” he added.
CHITRA V. RAMANI
