Black spots created by garbage shifting

NEW DELHI: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) has been expending approximately Rs 1,200 crore to bring Bengaluru in the list of the top five cleanest cities in India. The budget is provided to collect garbage, dispose it correctly and clean the black spots around the city. There are pre-defined spots in every city where smaller garbage collection vehicles transfer their waste on to bigger vehicles. When the workers do not pay attention to the transfer process and leave the transfer spot dirty, it leads to the formation of a ‘black spot’.  Although BBMP has been working to clean them, the corporation has also been responsible for the creation of a number of black spots themselves.

Small stretches on roads have become black spots because of the auto tippers who stop in these stretches to transfer the garbage. It is also due to the ignorant residents who conveniently dump their waste where the garbage is piled up. One such stretch is on Bhaskaran Road, where residents complained of bad stench and unhygienic conditions. One of the residents suggested having a double shift of garbage collection as a solution to prevent people from throwing garbage wherever and whenever they want.

The garbage contractors are required to provide plastic mat or tarpaulin sheets to the workers to ensure that no garbage is spilled on the roads during the transfer of garbage from auto tippers to garbage compactors. Nevertheless, hardly any contractors equip their workers with these materials for efficient and clean waste transfer.

According to the residents, health inspectors are expected to manage the transfer of garbage, inspect the transfer stations and ensure that they are clean. However, the health inspectors are not fulfilling their duties. The black spots are becoming sources of nuisance for people living nearby, the neighboring schools and nearby religious places. The black spots are stinky, dirty and hideous. D Randeep, Special Commissioner of BBMP, said that he will look into the matter keeping the inspection of black spots a priority.