A street choked by burning trash

Bengaluru: Illegal dumping and burning of garbage at Kadernahalli junction is affecting nearby residents and commuters. Though the residents were promised CCTV cameras, they are nowhere to be seen yet.

Assembly elections are round the corner and elected representatives have engaged themselves in campaigning and making newer promises, but the woes of residents remain the same. At Kadernahalli junction that connects J.P. Nagar and Kumarswamy Layout, heaps of garbage are dumped and burnt illegally, despite the efforts of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagare Palike (BBMP) to control the menace.

The junction has a traffic police post and policemen have to bear the stink while manning the traffic. The footpaths were renovated only recently, but they are already in bad shape with the slabs coming off. The residents staying nearby said this is a perfect example of shoddy execution of projects by the BBMP.
With the nearest toilet over half-a-kilometre away from the spot near Sarakki signal, the footpaths have turned into open urinals.

Most of the commuters we caught up with said that that unless there is proper monitoring, it is difficult to control the menace. “We don’t see any CCTV cameras anywhere. There has been only talk of installing surveillance cameras to not only monitor garbage dumping and burning, but also crime. Even in areas where cameras are installed, I don’t think they are being monitored,” opined Ashwin Singh, a techie who passes through the area every day.

The BBMP had put up aluminium sheets at the vacant area opposite the junction to prevent garbage dumping and burning, but despite this, people throw waste here, residents complain. “Whenever we raise the issue with the BBMP, some workers come and throw water on burning heaps of garbage. They also clear the garbage regularly, but still waste burning is rampant. But I must say that throwing of animal waste into the plot has come down drastically. Earlier, because of the rotten meat, the area used to stink very badly,” said Shashi Ranjan, a commuter.

The stretch is classified by the BBMP as a major road, and vehicles move at considerable speeds. Footpaths are necessary here to protect pedestrians. Though the footpath was repaired and re-laid recently, the slabs have come loose, and it is in a pathetic condition.

Divin, a resident who stays nearby, blamed the government for neglecting civic issues. "The footpath does not even exist here. This is height of insensitivity. How can a disabled person or a senior citizen walk here," he asked.

Q&A with the BBMP Health Inspector Babu Khan
Garbage burning is rampant near Kaderanahalli Junction. How will the BBMP tackle the menace?
We worked hard to control the situation at Ilyas Nagar where animal waste was being dumped. It used to be the biggest dumping ground and the stink spread to areas nearby. We convinced the meat shops and somehow brought the situation under control. Most of the garbage comes from Banashankari and Umar Bagh. We are working at controlling the menace.

Is the issue of encroachment of footpaths by auto-repair shops not being addressed? 
We can easily remove encroachments on footpaths. We get rid of such encroachments whenever we get complaints or we notice them. Already, we have removed encroachments from certain areas.

Is it not mandatory to install CCTV cameras in each ward? When can we see cameras here?
We are trying hard to bring the situation under control. We have sent the proposal to install CCTV cameras and Rs 10 lakh has been allotted to the ward for overall development.