Garbage piles up, so do dengue cases!

Bengaluru: Every year, the mounting piles of garbage in various localities has resulted in a steep rise in cases of dengue and other water-borne diseases. But still civic agencies seem to have learnt no lessons. Vacant plots at Lakshmi Layout Munnekolala, under Mahadevpura Zone, have turned into garbage dumpyards, upsetting  people living in the vicinity and also putting their health at risk.

Henry Philips, a resident, pointed out, “People throw waste with abject disregard for the health of those living nearby. Dogs, cows and mosquitoes thrive on this vacant land and we find it difficult to live near this area. "We don't know whose property this is or who the land  belongs to. We have tried pointing out the problem to the civic authorities, but in vain. It has been two months now but nothing has been done so far.”

A similar opinion is expressed by Raghav Choudary, another resident, who says,  “It is unbearable  sitting in our balcony due to the mosquitoes. People from the vicinity come and dump all sorts of waste material. When the BBMP has the authority to levy fines, why are they not doing it?”

Over the last few months, the mosquito menace has intensified in the city. There is a provision under Sections 333 and 335 of the Karnataka Municipalities Act, to file cases against owners of these vacant sites. Under Section 463, the Palike can clean the sites and levy on property owners a fine thrice the amount of its cleaning charges.

The fine can be recovered with property tax. But no one has bothered to take on the responsibility. In many colonies, the vacant plots between the houses are being used for dumping garbage, which is creating health problems. Another resident, Venugopal, says, “When a rule exists in BBMP that the site owner has to keep the site clean, why are the ward officials not doing the same? This points to is a lack of will and responsibility among the officials.”