Bengaluru: The broken footpath opposite the fire department building at East End Circle, Jayanagar, has become a dumping ground for construction debris and garbage, and civic agencies have turned a blind eye. The situation is so bad that not just pedestrians, even motorists dread halting there during traffic jams!
Residents blame the nearby eateries and random people for turning the area into a dumping spot. And the recent wet spells have only made their lives more miserable.
“Forget the fire station, the East End bus stop, used by thousands of commuters, has also turned into a garbage dump. There are eateries that do not place dustbins before their outlets,” said Jude Taylor, a daily commuter to East End.
The citizens’ complain that the heavy downpour in the past couple of months has led to the origination of fetid water from the trash, which made it impossible for the commuters to even wait at traffic snarls.
The leachate produced from unattended garbage could lead to serious health hazards and even contaminate the ground water.
Taylor also vented his anger at the nearby residents for total lack of civic sense.
Aman Jha (28), who works for a private firm, has recently shifted his residence from Wilson garden to Jayanagar block 9 considering it to be a clean and sanitized locality. But now he is a disappointed man.
“All you will find is the surrounding area of mall very clean, but I encounter the heap of garbage on a daily basis while going towards the office. It also results in traffic jams,” Jha said.
He said you cannot expect pedestrians to use a footpath, which is laden with garbage. Though BBMP has filled up some potholes in the area, they are of so poor quality that they got washed away in the next shower.
One of the commuters who accompanied Jha during the conversation with DC also added that in several localities the patchwork done has not been leveled and hence it is very uneven.
‘We are taking garbage menace seriously, will contain the problem’
Q&A with corporator R. Govinda Naidu
The footpath near the fire station office is laden with garbage. Is it not violating BBMP regulations?
We along with BBMP officials conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns to solve the garbage problem. Fortunately, health inspector Kalyan is taking the garbage menace seriously and we will contain the problem.
Civic aspects in the ward are being ignored. Is the ward facing a cash crunch?
No, not at all. Our MLA Vijay Kumar is taking action. As far as roads are concerned, BBMP is trying to fill all the potholes. The roads got washed away in recent rains. Of the Rs 4.5 crore we received, Rs 1.5 crore has been earmarked for civic works in the ward.
Is there any plan of installing CCTV cameras to check garbage menace?
Yes, within a fortnight or a month we will install cameras. This will ensure women’s safety.
