Burning garbage is a punishable offence by law. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is supposed to uphold the law and penalise those who don’t. However, what do you say when their own people indulge in garbage burning? This is the question being asked by several residents across Bangalore and outside.
Here is a case of one such BBMP worker burning dry waste and plastic on 3rd Cross in Muneshwara Layout, Hosapalya. Says software engineer Uday Shankaran, a resident of Kudlu who caught him in the act: “Thrice a week, they are burning plastic, twigs, dry waste, and thermocol. I always used to smell it, but today, I caught the pourakarmika (sweeper) red-handed. When I confronted him, he was not showing his face, which means the pourakarmika knows that burning is wrong.”
Uday adds that burning garbage is a common practice of BBMP workers in this area. “It’s easier for them to burn rather than use the garbage vehicle. Today, after he had burnt the garbage, I saw the collection vehicle pass by.”
