Creating awareness among the young blood

BANGALORE: One of the biggest problems that the city deals with on a daily basis is that of  waste disposal. It is either not collected on time, or is dumped by residents without a thought or worse still, left to rot for days together until someone finally decides to do something about it.The smell of rotting vegetables and other wet wastes is picked up by the olfactory nerves even before there is any visual display of it. Like most localities, Domlur too is burdened under the ever growing weight of waste and garbage. A plot of land that is landscaped and maintained by a popular real estate developer is lying scattered with colourful used plastic bags and other dry and wet wastes. Many corporate companies have taken up such responsibilities to maintain and take care of public properties. Adoption of numerous parks is testimony that these companies can share the burden with the BBMP.But the problem arises when such companies fail to carry the responsibility on their shoulders. In that case the property is left unattended and neglected. Unfortunately, this seems to now be the plight of the landscaped property between Domlur Main Road and the service lane in the area. Speaking about the mess ‘left and forgotten’, the local corporator, Geetha Srinivasareddy said, “I have been requesting the company to clear the garbage. I have even instructed the garbage van to come twice  a day to clear the area. Even then the area is not cleaned.”According to Srinivasareddy, the problem does not lie with those collecting the waste, it lies with those who are dumping the waste. “Many residents miss the garbage van that comes to gather the waste due to mismatched timing. As a result, they end up throwing it at some vacant and unused corner of the area. I have seen this happen in front of me,” said the worried corporator. The garbage sometimes even finds its way onto the pavement in the pedestrian’s way. The shallow pits that have been dug up on the pavement to create percolation pits for the tress, also worry the pedestrian as they are forced to walk on the road at times. “These pits will not only trap rain water but also increase the water table levels,” she informed.When questioned how she plans to deal with the garbage, she said, “We have had many meetings with the  counsel regarding the real estate developer’s inability to maintain and keep the area clean. I have also met with the residents here. We feel that if the youth is involved more activity, they could make a significant change.”