Garbage dumped on a streetside, due to the lack of secondary storage. Pic: Kathyayini Chamraj
I think Bengaluru was better off when it had garbage bins at the corner of roads. At least people would throw garbage in the bins. But now, all of Bengaluru is littered with garbage. In every area, there are two or three spots where garbage is thrown by people, on the road or in front of someone else’s home.
So why has the Swachh Bengaluru campaign failed?
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Because BBMP collection guys demand money to collect garbage from house to house.
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No proper timings intimated to residents for garbage pickup.
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BBMP collection vehicles demand close to Rs 200 per house from apartments, to pick up their garbage, so they dump on the road at night.
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Corporators do not visit their wards or take necessary measures to stop littering. Corporators visit their wards only during election time, when they need votes. Most of the roads in Bengaluru were laid recently only because of elections.
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BBMP demands a hefty amount as road cutting fee and over that, a bribe. Though the roads stay the same for several years, their bribe does not reduce.
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If citizens complain about the garbage problem online, they are penalised and threatened by BBMP officers. The first information they ask for is “where do u stay and what is your phone number”, so it is easy to shut the person who points out.
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No door to door campaigns done by BBMP to educate people below the poverty line about littering, or to distribute dustbins etc. There is no communication between the people’s representative and residents of the city.
I would blame the failure of the Swachh Bengaluru campaign on BBMP’s negligence.
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You should really be blaming the Bangalore Agenda Task Force – Nandan Nilekani, Ramesh Ramanathan, Kalpana Kar and Revathy Ashok et al for this mess.
Garbage crisis in not new to Bangalore. It has been like this for the past many years. The main reason is the contracts are given to people on considerations other than their capacity to do the work.The garbage clearing is handled by Contractos who have no equipment or expertise in the job. Just take a look at the Garbage collecting trucks, rickety three wheelers. Powrakarmas who handle the Garbage are not provided proper uniform,neither they are protected by footwear and Gloves to handle the Garbage. Secondly absolute lack of supervision of work from the Corporation side.
Due to lack of Bins, Garbage is pilingup at every street corner.
No, it is a deliberate policy of governments across the world.
You can blame Citizen Matters – they too are into this game:
check out this story in NYT Lebanon’s Garbage Crisis Underscores Government’s Disarray –
…The public has grown increasingly infuriated over the government’s inability to collect garbage that has been piling up for weeks during the hottest months of the summer. The garbage has also become a symbol of all the basic services that Lebanon’s gridlocked, ineffective government has failed to deliver for years. The protest movement inspired by the crisis, known as “You Stink,” has drawn people from a broad spectrum of Lebanese political and social groups that are often at odds….
‘@skeptic: Hi, this is to inform you that you are violating the comments policy. Your account could be suspended anytime – we have already sent warning mails to you in this regard earlier.
Also, can you elaborate on your comment – “You can blame Citizen Matters – they too are into this game” ? I’d be interested to know how!
‘@Shree D N – I am sorry you took offense, it was a sarcastic remark.I look at the pattern of “garbage scams” everywhere to see that the media does its part – reporting – which is being part of the ‘game’. You need not take offense, we readers are part of the ‘game’ too! May be ‘blame’ was the wrong word, but seeing as to how people want to ‘blame’ some one or the other, why not blame the messenger? We should blame everyone but ourselves apparently!
I am also glad that you published your disapproval of my comment instead of censoring it. Thank you.
I hope I am not violating any serious comments policy. About the handle ‘skeptic’, which Citizen Matters seems to disapprove of: what name would you like me to choose? Should I represent a particular community to speak against another community? [Like in the movies? 🙂 ] I prefer ‘skeptic’ because readers would be less likely to be influenced by stereotypes. (as compared to ‘bhakt’?).
Carry on with the good work and please do a comparison on the garbage situation in the major cities of India and don’t forget to include Beirut – I think what is happening there is very relevant to us.