Jayanagar finds a spot for garbage

Jayanagar was designed by M Vishweraya in 1959. It was one of the first planned neighbourhoods of Bangalore. But the residents of 9th Block, 22nd Main seem to be struggling with garbage problems in the locality. An undeveloped site in the area is being used as a garbage disposal ground by the BBMP. The area is surrounded by the local markets. All the waste from the markets along with the household garbage is unceremoniously dumped here. Due to the quantity of the filth, some of it is overflowing on the road as well.K Rahul, a resident of the area said, “A mound of garbage is seen here everyday. Most of it has been dumped by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) vans. They bring rubbish from the other areas in Jayanagar and dump it here.” When City Express was inspecting the area it was noticed that many people also use the site as a urinal ground. Also voicing her problems was a pourakarmika who said that it was impossible to clean the area with a broomstick due to the overspill of garbage onto the roads.The garbage is swarming with mosquitoes and insects. This can pose as a serious health threat to the residents in the vicinity. The chief health commissioner, Geetha Shashidhar, said, “We are trying to involve the segregation at the collection point itself. All these problems are due to old tenders. We will solve it soon.” But officials from BBMP shed a different light on the story. Shankar, who oversees BBMP’s garbage clearing activities in the area said, “A Swachatha Corporation van comes here every morning to clear the garbage. It usually comes between 10.30 am and 2 pm. Sadly it is true that it is used as a dumping ground by all the residents and shops on the 20 odd roads in the area. But in the two shifts that we have everyday, we clean most of it up. The reason why it is dirty despite that is because people discard their trash even after we clean up.” Krishnappa, who also handles the waste collection and clearing in the area informed City Express that the presence of a slum and the market near by, also add their waste to the area. When asked for solutions to the problem all he said was, “It has now become a routine. We do our job. Its not our fault.”When contacted, CK Ramamurthy, the corporator of the ward, said, “It is used as a collective unit for Jayanagar. The site has been empty for the past 15 years. We do not have any other place. We have done the same in Vijayanagar and other areas. Another problem that we face is the absence of good contractors. We have invited tenders. I will ensure that the problem is solved within a month or two.”