Garbage woes, building violations take centre stage at east corporation meeting

Bengaluru East Corporation meeting addresses garbage management, building violations, and resident concerns amid growing public frustration.

Chaos swept through the Bengaluru East City Corporation (BECC) office on Tuesday during the public meeting with Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) chief M. Maheshwar Rao, as a big crowd gathered for the event, grew impatient while waiting for their turn. More than 200 people gathered at the BECC head office in Mahadevapura, and the issues raised were largely about building violations, e-khata issues, poor footpath stretches, solid waste management, and illegal constructions.

A resident of AECS Layout drew Mr. Rao’s attention to the irregularity of waste collection tippers and said, “Waste collection is happening only once a week, forcing residents to throw garbage on the streets, which is making walking impossible”. The same issue was raised by at least eight residents from the area, with one person asking the corporation to give them poison instead of killing them slowly by spreading diseases through garbage pile-ups.

During the central corporation meeting, Mr. Rao acknowledged the irregular timings and issues with door-to-door garbage collection. This time, he asked the health officer to conduct field visits, prepare an extensive report, and submit it to the GBA. The authority will then seek accountability from the concerned officials. He directed corporation officials to come up with a micro-plan to address the garbage issue in T.C. Palya and other areas where the issue is persisting.

Taking note of garbage problems arising from multi-storeyed buildings, Mr. Rao directed officials to make it mandatory for buildings with more than two floors to place two large dustbins for dry and wet waste. The idea behind the move is to encourage source segregation and curb illegal dumping, leading to a reduction in black spots.

Residents of Garudacharapalya, Kundalahalli, and those living along ECC Road complained about illegal buildings, PG accommodations, and buildings under construction that are violating rules. Mr. Rao asked officials to strictly conduct manual checks, issue notices, and get parastatal agencies to snap electricity and water connections to violators. He instructed officials to hold quick hearings, and if the cases are found to be genuine, connections can be restored.

Prakash, a resident of Kadugodi, noted that there is rampant encroachment of gomala land in patches near Channasandra. Mr. Rao ordered officials to immediately reclaim the land and monitor other encroachments. Prakash also submitted a bundle of letters to Mr. Rao that he had written to the civic body over the years highlighting the issue.