BENGALURU, 14 MARCH

For Bengaluru residents protesting against household waste and other garbage not being cleared from their localities regularly, excuses have become routine. Some go like this: “I was not feeling well and there is no one to work on my behalf,” says Ramesh, a civic worker in Byatarayanapura. Mani, who is in-charge of Vijayanagar Pipeline Road, says “I was assigned a different route.”

In some neighbourhoods, heaps of garbage have been rotting for days, spreading stench and threatening public health. Salar News has found that the real reason behind the piling up of waste is not the absence of Pourakarmikas. It is a complete breakdown of coordination in Bengaluru’s civic agencies.

For over three days, garbage was not cleared in several areas in the city, including Nayandahalli, Kengeri, Kamakshipalya, Basaveshwar Nagar, Vijayanagar, Govindaraj Nagar, Chamarajpet, Majestic, Laggere, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Yeshwanthapura and Yelahanka.

“The drain has been left open for around 20 days. We have complained to the authorities several times. The line got blocked a few days back after some people dumped garbage in it. Non of the civic agencies we contacted responded to our complaints,” said Vishnuvardhan, a resident of Azad Nagar.

 “At night, many people come and dump garbage here,” said Sumanth Kumar, a senior citizen in Amruth Nagar. “We have been witnessing this for the past five years. They load garbage into compactors and leave the spillage unattended. It stinks, and it is a breeding ground for diseases.”

The crisis, however, goes beyond just missing garbage trucks. It has escalated into a full-blown standoff between residents and waste management authorities. BJP legislators raised the issue in the Assembly on Thursday, highlighting that garbage disposal has been disrupted for the past three days.

WHOM TO BLAME

Malleswaram MLA CN Ashwathnarayan said villagers in Mittaganahalli and surrounding areas have blocked over 500 garbage trucks from entering the local waste processing facilities. They accuse the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) of reckless waste disposal that endangers their health and environment.

The Mittaganahalli yard processes more than 65 per cent of Bengaluru’s waste. With entry of more than 450 compactor trucks stalled, the process is stuck. Some of these garbage-laden vehicles have been stuck near KR Market flyover, unable to proceed due to the protests.

Truck drivers, stranded at the waste yard for days, say they are caught in the crossfire. “We have been stuck here for two days. The smell is unbearable, and there’s no clarity on when we can unload the garbage,” a driver said.

The protest is not unwarranted. The Kannur Gram Panchayat has complained to Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Shalini Rajaneesh about the unscientific dumping at Mittaganahalli landfill.

Civic experts believe that decentralising waste management is the only long-term solution. Kathyayini Chamaraj, an urban governance expert, cited High Court orders mandating decentralised waste processing at the ward level. “Instead of spending huge amounts of money on tunnel roads, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar should prioritise setting up biomethanisation and biocomposting units in every ward,” she said.

“Local residents have blocked 360 garbage trucks. We are in talks with the villagers to understand their concerns. We hope to resolve the issue soon,” said M Lokesh, chief engineer of the BSWML.