July Wrap: Brand audit, bad road, changemakers, encroachments & more

Which brands are polluting the environment the most?

Recently, GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) coordinated a ‘Brand Audit’ in different cities to engage the citizens and bring the branded litter to the notice of the authorities and big consumer manufacturing companies (FMCG). In Bangalore, HSR was one such venue for the audit that happened from May 20-22 between 8am and 10.30am at the Bangalore One Park on 24th Main. “It was engaging and alarming as the data surprised us,” said volunteer Shanthi Tummala. “We were expecting most of the dry waste to come from FMCG giants, but were surprised to find many local players and unbranded plastic forming the majority.” The last day disheartened the volunteers even more as they saw sanitary pads tossed in dry waste and food packets with eatables still inside. “We lived the life of the waste workers for a couple of hours. I have full respect for them,” said participant and HSR resident Ratnakar Bhadravathi. The other volunteers who deserve our praise wholeheartedly include Krupa Seetharam, Chitra Praneeth, Tirumal Kumar Boppana, Rajni, Nalini, Divya Venkatesh, Shreya Praveen, Jagadish, Vijayalakshmi, Suma, Roopa, Akshita and Ishana, among others. “Hope the results will be used for positive developments in waste management,” signed off Ratnakar.

Garbage collection points are a mess
Nobody wants garbage segregation to be done near their house. The result is a complete mess, both at the Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) on 24th Main in Sector 1 and the secondary collection point near Outer Ring Road in Sector 4. “KCDC, DWCC and the secondary collection point are a mess,” says Sector 1 resident Kavitha Reddy. “Added to it, the MLA (Sathish Reddy) gets a 35 MLD sewage treatment plant forcefully sanctioned in front of a school and in the middle of a residential area. People like me keep fighting and suggesting solutions but none get implemented due to the pressure from the garbage mafia. Soon, Agara Lake will get spoilt if this poisonous waste and garbage dumping continues to happen on the outer sides of the lake fence. Almost every road in HSR Layout is in bad shape. There are blocked drains, the mother of all potholes and sewage overflow.” She has a few words for Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), BBMP. “You can’t ignore the ground reality that the secondary collection point of Ward 174 is a mess. Dirty water and lechet is entering Agara Lake through small drains. Please take this seriously. We can’t let a well-revived lake get spoiled due to the shortsightedness of BBMP’s SWM team! Please shift the secondary collection point. Due to this point, more and more waste from elsewhere is also getting dumped in HSR.”

Lake festival brings residents together
Kaagaz Foundation organised the Kere Utsava recently to create an awareness drive on beating plastic pollution, this year’s theme of World Environment Day. “We saw a good footfall at our stalls and many visitors took great interest,” said event coordinator Kavitha Reddy. “We spoke about three-way waste segregation, dry waste management, composting and various available options, R-R-R (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse), Water Save/Conservation and Sustainable Menstruation options for women to lead a ‘Happy Periods’ life.” Many visitors invited the volunteers to their apartments to have this awareness drive conducted over there, which the volunteers found to be quite encouraging.

Happy faces at Agara Lake
The World Environment Day on June 5 brought several students and residents to the revived surroundings of Agara Lake. School and college students were given some gyaan about beating plastic pollution, and they took a pledge to support the cause. In addition, the residents and students planted saplings and even distributed saplings to all those who had assembled, including members of the Agara Lake Protection and Management Society and Lake Development Authority.

Steel lunch boxes, please
The recent plastic ban in Maharashtra has prompted one restaurant in Pune to deliver food in steel lunch boxes. The customers have to return the boxes once the food is door delivered. And if they come to the restaurant for takeaways, they are to deposit Rs 200 which will be refunded once they return the containers. We would like all the restaurants and eateries across HSR Layout to adopt this as well. If you know of an eatery already doing it, mail us(residentswatchmag@gmail.com) and we will write about them. There’s something even better that you, dear reader, can do. Whenver you go to a restaurant for a takeaway, take steel containers with you, and a cloth bag. One little step like this will go a long way in not just saving the environment. Because actually, we need saving not the environment. It can take care of itself, provided we don’t contaminate it’s natural working process.

Helpline numbers at hand
This utilities board at Sector 1 park and Bangalore One park is apt for residents. Make the most of it. It’s a welcome relief from the innumerable flex banners and posters being stuck on trees, fences, walls and light poles by politicians and commercial vendors. If you find this list too limiting, you could always refer to the two-pages of numbers from essential utilities in the Helpline section (Page 14 of this issue) of Residents Watch. From numbers of a chess academy to snake catchers and pig nabbers to electricians, MLA, MP, and people who do oddjobs, it’s got everything under the essential items category for a resident.

New road loses sheen quickly
After months of petitions and counter petitions, the residents got themselves a road opposite Akrithi Apartments at the end of 27th Main. However, within months, the road is showing signs of wear and tear. Here is proof. Will the BBMP fix it before it goes from bad to worse, please?

Bad politicians are made
One reader of Residents Group mailed this in our Telegram group and we feel it sums up the scene today, after the elections. This clearly highlights that the residents are more at fault than the politicians. However, we believe that the officials can make a difference. And these authorities are also residents of the area where they live. We urge all the officials of Bescom, BBMP, BWSSB, BSNL, and the HSR Layout police to do their job without fear or favour. And if they are in the wrong, it’s time they corrected themselves and worked for the salary they are paid at the end of the month. This complacency, largescale corruption and ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude must end now.

Want to be a change maker
“If we want a better city, if we want a better country; we have to take up the responsibility and #LeadTheChange,” writes Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, President, B.PAC (Bangalore Political Action Commitee), urging Bengalureans to enroll themselves to B.CLIP batch-6 and #LeadTheChange. The programme will guide on how to become an efficient civic leader and make an impact in your neighbourhood by being part of various developmental initiatives of B.PAC like workshops, awareness campaigns, and several drives for various causes. You can apply online at: http://bpac.in/bclip

Footpath encroachments removed; plastic shops sealed
The godowns in Agara of plastic wholesalers AN Plastics and Mathaji Plastics were raided and their shops sealed for being repeat offenders and failing to abide by the plastic ban in the state. The banned items were seized and a penalty of Rs 50,000 was imposed on each of them. Similarly, footpath enchrochments were removed on 17th cross. The19th main is next. We also urge the BBMP to shut down Bansuri Sweets on 27th Main, a basement eatery.