First , the striking pourakarmikas left the city stinking and now barely a few weeks later, the city is once again facing a garbage crisis of humungous proportions with major landfills having shut down on its outskirts. Step out and you see almost every street, bylane and service road filled with heaps of garbage and stray dogs and cows milling around them. Every available vacant plot has turned into a dumping ground, as the city pays the price for not finding a scientific solution to its garbage problem. Posh localities are not being spared either with even the area around the house of MLA N A Harris in shambles. Heaps of garbage also line the road leading to Garuda Mall, frequented by a good number of pedestrians on their way to Commissariat Road, Mayo Hall, Victoria Layout and other destinations.
“This is a residential layout and we have tech companies, schools and other places of importance in the vicinity. This street is supposed to be well maintained and we make sure that it is absolutely clean. But since Saturday in the absence of garage collection, we have no choice but to dump the waste at street corners. We have tried to keep the garbage in our homes but the stench is unbearable,” said an upset Radhika Chakravarthy, a resident of Wellington Street in Shanthinagar. In other areas Bengalureans are doing what comes easiest to them - set the waste on fire. In the process they are letting a thick smoke fill the air, polluting the environment.
“We have no choice but to set the garbage on fire. We know that it is causing pollution but we have to do it to avoid stray animals from creating a bigger mess in the area. The BBMP must come up with a solution before the city turns into a landfill and is plagued by diseases,” warned Mr Puttaraju, a resident of Shraddhananda Bhavan Road in VV Puram.