When BMP turns blind eye to dumping

When BMP turns blind eye to dumping
Deccan Herald

It was not unusual when on Thursday the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike slapped a penalty of Rs 20,000 on a building owner on St John’s Church Road for dumping building material on the footpath.

It was not unusual when on Thursday the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike slapped a penalty of Rs 20,000 on a building owner on St John’s Church Road for dumping building material on the footpath.

Over the past five months, the BMP has collected nothing less than Rs 30 lakh in fines for debris being dumped on pavements and in stormwater drains.

However, one wonders why the BMP has turned a blind eye to the heaps of building material dumped on the sidewalk on Ambedkar Veedhi, along which the Vidhana Soudha and the High Court buildings are located. The construction of a new arch-gate in front of the High Court building has resulted in huge piles of building material being plonked on the sidewalk, obstructing pedestrians, who are now forced to walk on the busy road.


To make matters worse, a bus stop is in close proximity to the site of the new gate. But this violation on a prominent road seems somehow to have skipped the attention of BMP officials.

Penalties

According to BMP officials, the Karnataka Municipal Council Act, 1976, allows for collection of penalties (levied as administrative charges) for clearing of debris from footpaths.

Soon after assuming charge as the new BMP Commissioner, Mr K Jairaj announced a massive drive against debris dumping and stocking of building material on pavements.

The new commissioner had also warned the citizens against causing damage to pavements and public property by dumping debris.

However, the law has yet to be implemented effectively, officials add.