Waste transfer on KR Road leaves pedestrians battling stench

Waste transfer on the carriageway, leachate stagnating on the footpath, and the stench emanating from it have kept pedestrians off the footpaths on Krishna Rajendra Road in V.V. Puram, a key pedestrian stretch in South Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd. (BSWML) officials, however, said that the waste transfer undertaken on the stretch is being carried out by a private commercial contractor, against whom they have filed an oral police complaint.

K.R. Road, which is a major road connecting several popular stretches in the city, including Gandhi Bazaar, Vani Vilas Road, and South End Road, also houses National College metro station. With multiple bus stops and a metro station on the stretch, K.R. Road is a key pedestrian corridor as well.

However, now, on both ends of the metro station, waste transfer has become a common exercise on a daily basis, despite multiple complaints from pedestrians and commuters. Ironically, this comes amid the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) taking up a footpath clearance drive, citing its focus on pedestrian safety.

Daily nightmare

Rajappa, an autorickshaw driver, told The Hindu that compactors are stationed at multiple points on different days, causing an unbearable stench along the whole stretch.

“When we complained for the first time, they moved from the Indira Canteen side to the other end, towards Vani Vilas Road. Now, they have expanded by having one more place occupied near the Bescom office side also,” he said.

Rahul Gowda, a student at a college nearby, said that they have stopped using one side of the stretch because the stench is unbearable. “The leaked liquid has stagnated on the footpath, and when it rains, the whole stretch becomes unwalkable. So many college students use this walkway, yet they continue to carry out waste transfer at the same spot,” he said.

Mr. Gowda also noted that for several days, they had stopped transferring waste at the same spot, but it has begun again.

To take action

A BSWML official who oversees waste collection in Chickpet limits told The Hindu that the compactors and vehicles stationed along the stretch belong to a contractor who collects waste from bulk generators. “We had warned the contractor, and later we also filed an oral police complaint, following which an inspection was done and they stopped operating at that place. Now, they have begun operating again,” he said.

The official said that they will hold a meeting soon and address the issue.