Residents take up fight against stink

Residents take up fight against stink
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Being unable to bear the stink created by people urinating in the open, the residents of Malleshwaram have taken the baton in their hand with the Stink Free Malleshwaram campaign.

The Malleshwaram Swabhimanaa Initiative (MSA) will put up awareness messages and directions to the nearest public toilets, at the “popular open urinary junctions”.

Men urinating on walls by the road side is a common sight in Malleshwaram. The walls by Sampige road are victimised the most.

These include the walls near Himanshu Hospital, Government High School Road and walls near 5th Cross. “The wall near the 5th Cross playground is just beside a Nirmala toilet.

“People prefer the wall,” Dr Meenakshi says, “They think that any wall belonging to the government is an open urinary.”

Unable to remain helpless victims any longer, the residents have taken up the step. “The roads stink and we cannot walk on the footpath. It is dangerous for women after sunset. So we have come up with this idea,” Vani Ramamurthy says.

The boards will have a cartoon with a message and the direction to the nearest Nirmala toilet. “It will have a map specific to that area, showing the way to the nearest public toilet,” she says.

MSI did face discouragement it was pointed out that the mindset of the people could not be changed. “We can at least show the way to 30 or 40 per cent of the people,” she says.

The target group will be the floating population in the area and the auto drivers. They have attained permission from Bangalore City Corporation. The first board will be installed at 9th Cross and Margosa Road junction on Sunday.

“The boards are funded by sponsors. The other boards will be installed soon,” she says. The public toilets in Malleshwaram are at 5th Cross, 8th Cross Conservatory, between 18th and 19th Cross, near 8th Main Police station and opposite CET cell.