It’s a big dump out there

It’s a big dump out there


Garbage and other solid waste near a borewell in Byatarayanapura.
Faiza HaneefFirst Published : 21 Jul 2009 07:21:48 AM ISTLast Updated : 21 Jul 2009 08:30:27 AM IST
BANGALORE: In parts of Bangalore, the early morning recorded announcements ring the air to announce the arrival of the garbage collectors. However, there are certain parts where this practice is unheard of.
These are the newly added areas of Bangalore. Initially when the concept of door-to-door garbage collection system started, dustbins were removed as they attracted stray dogs, cattle and as the garbage was scattered almost everywhere. But the residents of few erstwhile CMCs still live amid garbage.
“It’s been months together since we have heard the trash collectors come. Every day we keep the dustbins outside and the stray dogs mess it up. The two dustbins still located in the locality are overflowing most of the time. Disposal of garbage has become a serious concern among the residents here,” said Kanchan, resident of Vijaylakshmi layout, Dasarahalli.
The resident are tired of complaining and say that the BBMP officials are only passing the buck. “Nothing is clear to the officials as to which department is responsible for the disposal of garbage.
Every time you complain, they say some official from Health or Engineering department will look into the matter and send us back.
And the garbage from the dustbins is cleared once in a month,” added Kanchan’s husband Shashank Chandra.
The door-to-door solid waste collection system is not happening on a regular basis even in areas like Nagarwara, around Cantonment, parts of Yelahanka, Dasarahalli and Yeshwantpur.
“The trash collectors take money regularly from the residents here once in month and then they do not appear for days together.
Once in a while we see them coming in trucks with one Palike official. That is when they clear the dustbins.
They even refuse to use to take dead animals that sometimes are on the main roads,” complained Chandrashekar, a resident of Vidyaranyapura. “Whenever, we complain about the issue, the palike officers in the ward offices say that the health department is incharge and the health officials say that the garbage disposal has been handed over to the engineering section,” he says.
However BBMP officials state that they have received no complaints in this regard so far and also maintain that the door-to-door collection is happening everywhere without fail. “The door-todoor collection is happening across the city and there are no complaints over the daily rounds. However, there are a few complaints about these trash collectors demanding money once in a month. If the residents have any complaint with regard to the absence of the doorto- door garbage collection, they can directly get in touch with the zonal health officer or executive engineer, assistant executive engineer, junior engineers or the Joint Commissioner anytime and leave a complaint,” said a senior BBMP official.
The residents can directly call the concerned zonal office control room and register a complaint: Head office control room - 22221188, East control room - 22975803, West control room - 23561692, South control room - 26566362.