Murgeshpalya: It stinks and stinks!

Bengaluru: Cover your nose and make a way for yourself to walk on the footpath littered with garbage. The commuters have a harrowing experience waiting for buses at Murgeshpalya bus stop on the Old Airport Road, behind which there is a garbage dumping ground.

Over a year ago, a resident of Murgespalya complained about this garbage menace in Ichangemycity website.

Though the BBMP said the issue has been resolved, nothing seems to have changed on the ground.

 “Garbage, wherever thrown, makes it uncomfortable for the pedestrians to pass by. The only solution that can be done to control the menace is to process the waste. God knows why the BBMP did not lift the garbage on Sunday,” said Mukesh Rastogi, an aggrieved resident.

Delving further on the issue, he said, “Since this is a bus stop it is more uncomfortable for the passengers to sit and wait for the buses due to the pungent smell emanating from the garbage heap.”

Apart from the civic authorities, the residents also lambasted at the people for throwing the garbage in an open space.

Richika Vohra, another resident, said, “Till the citizens themselves become conscious of the issue, nothing much can be done. Yes, the civic authorities are responsible for not processing the waste and for not maintaining regularity in cleanliness, but one cannot put the entire blame on them.”

“There is a wine shop in the area. One can easily find the bottles and cartons littered nearby. At least a fine can be imposed on shops or those who are responsible for littering,” Bikash explains.

On reaching the spot, Deccan Chronicle also witnessed that garbage is being burnt on the footpath near a public toilet.

“The population of Bengaluru is increasing, but the infrastructure is not coping up with it. Since it is Sunday, they have not lifted the garbage. Apart from the garbage, the footpath is entirely encroached by the hawkers thereby the becoming the biggest impediment for pedestrians,” said Radhakrishnan, who shifted to Old Airport Road, three years ago.

Commenting on the health hazards he said even the hawkers who do their business on the footpath get affected by it.

The garbage dump also attracts cows and dogs, thereby adding to the misery of pedestrians and those waiting at the bus stop. It is an irony that on one hand graffiti on the wall says, “Please do not urinate here” and on the other, the ground at Murgespalya is not only used for dumping garbage but for public urination also.

Q and A with Assistant Engineer Vishwanath Lahari

The residents near the bus stop face a lot of problem due to the garbage dumping. When will the issue get resolved?
It is government's land, but there is a controversy between the BBMP and a private party. We clear the garbage on a daily basis, but people dump it every day. So, the issue is in our notice and we are proactive about it.

Is there any plan for the BBMP to shift the garbage disposal ground elsewhere?
Right now we are not planning to shift. However, I cannot rule out that possibility in near future.

Are you aware about the pile of garbage being burnt on the footpath?
It has not yet come to our notice yet. It is not a daily phenomenon. Yes, at night somebody might come and light the fire. We will try to look into the issue.