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Transcript of Vol 12, Issue5
Vol. 12 Issue 5 Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore 20 September, 2012
FORGOTTEN children as
young as seven clean toilets
in a government juvenile
home awaiting justice.
Jyoti, 14, was brought to the
Department of Karnataka
Women and Child Development
when she was found begging in
Rachael Market three years ago.
She said: “They often take
me to the court and say they will
release me soon but for the last
three years I have been here. I
miss my mother, father and elder
brother.”
She complained her parents
are not aware of where she is
and the authority has not in-
formed them or taken her back
home, despite frequent assur-
ances.
To add to the plight of these
girls, the authorities are strict
and make them do menial work.
“They make us clean toilets
and sweep floors. Leaders are
chosen from among the inmates
and these leaders even beat us
up badly if the work is not done
properly,” said Jyoti.
It’s the same case with
Geetha, 11, and Meghna, 7.
They were brought to the juve-
nile home 15 days ago when
they were found begging in
Morar.
Geetha said: “I was begging
in a railway station when a police
officer caught hold of me and
Meghna, and brought us here.”
“My father does not know
where I am and he must be look-
ing for me. I keep telling them to
take me back to my father but
they take no action,” she added.
According to the Prevention
of Begging Act, 1959, begging is
an offence and juveniles found
guilty by a court of law can be
sentenced to a minimum of one
year and a maximum of three
years.
Aditya Mathur, Public Rela-
tions Officer of the social devel-
opment organization Pankhudi,
said: “It is not morally right to
make the children do such work.
Even if the police bring the chil-
dren to juvenile homes, their pri-
ority should be contacting their
parents.”
(Names of the children have
been changed to protect identi-
ties).
Girls in juvenile home only want to go back homeBy Debanti Roy
Ghost town Bangalore
No ray of hope for these girls in juvenile home.
Some girls have spent three years awaiting trial.
BANGALORE came to a
standstill as the nationwide
bandh called by the opposi-
tion affected mobility and
work across the city.
The nationwide strike called
by the National Democratic Al-
liance (NDA) and other opposi-
tion parties against the recent
hike in diesel prices and al-
lowance of Foreign Direct In-
vestment (FDI) received good
response across the state.
All schools and colleges
across the city were closed.
KSRTC and BMTC buses were
off the road. However, a KSRTC
official told ‘The Observer’ that
some buses were operational in
the morning. "We operated
buses to Shimoga, Arsikere and
Tumkur," he said.
Police were on high alert to
prevent any untoward incidents
in the city. 20-25 units of RPF
personnel were deployed at rail-
way stations across Bangalore.
All shops and offices chose
to remain shut and only essential
commodities like milk and med-
ical services are available.
Yeddyurappa detained
Leaders from the top eche-
lons of the state BJP were taken
into preventive custody today,
after staging protests against the
recent hike in fuel prices.
Former Chief Minister B S
Yeddyurappa, along with the
other BJP leaders Ananth
Kumar, C M Chandrashekar, Ra-
machandra Gowda and Lakshmi
Narayana were held at the
Ashok Nagar Police Station for a
little more than an hour.
They were later released,
after congregations of protesting
BJP cadres were dispersed by
the city police. “It is the duty of
the police to maintain law and
order, and sometimes it be-
comes necessary to take people
into preventive custody. That is
the reason we had to take them
into custody,” said B R Ravikan-
the Gowda, DCP (Central Divi-
sion).
Current scenario
The city was deserted until
six in the evening after which the
buses were back on the road.
Shops around MG Road and
Majestic Bus Station returned to
normal.
Police sources said that
there were no cases of violence
or stone pelting reported in the
city.
Background
The Bharat Bandh is a part of a
series of nationwide protests
called by the opposition parties,
opposing the hike in fuel prices,
introduction of FDI in the retail
sector and also the aviation in-
dustry. (Contd on Page 3)
Reporting Team:
Krishnaprasad S, Rohan Prem,
Nikita Malusare, Shruti Tiwari &
Sumit
Despite the production of a mil-
lion incense sticks a month, the
workers’ future is uncertain.
>Page 2
The number of female addicts
are on the rise but there are no
female rehab centres.
>Page 3
Youth rally held in the city spot-
lights the plight of the young
unemployed.
>Page 4
Ph
oto
: D
eb
an
ti R
oy
Ph
oto
: D
eb
an
ti R
oy
Yeddyurappa was detained near Maharani College and taken into preventive custody.
Ph
oto
: K
PN
02 The Weekly Observer 20 September 2012 | City
SLUM workers who earn just
one rupee for every 400 in-
cense sticks they make have
been threatened with closure
by gang bosses.
The unit, which is distributed
between two small, dimly-lit
rooms in a slum in Nayandahalli,
accommodates 10 women work-
ers. Each woman makes 4000
incense sticks (agarbattis)
everyday for a paltry Rs. 100.
However, the middleman
who engaged them was not
happy with the production and
declared that the unit would be
closed on October 1.
He wants the women to shift
to another bigger unit near Ken-
geri but workers say that it would
be difficult for them to work away
from home.
Shabnam, a mother of two,
said: “We are working in this unit
because it’s near our house, and
we can also keep an eye on the
children.”
She added: “Besides, the
company is not going to provide
bus fares. How can we manage
so many expenses with only Rs.
100 per day?”
It is strange to note that none
of the women know who their
employer is. The raw materials
for production are delivered to
them every day in the morning,
and the finished products are
carried away in trucks once a
week.
The workers know only the
middleman who pays their daily
wages.
Incense stick manufacturing
in India primarily thrives on unor-
ganized women working in
slums and villages. Companies
engage poor women in small,
dingy rooms and dole out Rs.
100-120 for eight hours of stren-
uous work.
These unregistered units do
not come under the purview of
any labor laws, and these
women are deprived of benefits
like Provident Fund and Em-
ployee State Insurance unlike
their counterparts working in li-
censed factories.
Another young mother, Ausar
said: “We do not get any other
benefit from our employers apart
from our daily wages.”
Long hours of sitting and
pressing out incense sticks re-
sult in headache, backache and
severe pain in the hands for the
workers.
According to Shabnam, there
is no use of going to government
hospitals to get treatment as
they are always overcrowded.
Shaheena, 55, said: “I get
severe backaches because of
the long hours, but have no
other support as none of my chil-
dren stay with me. I do not know
how I will fend for myself after
the unit is closed”.
By Kakoli Mukherjee
Workers toiling hard for long hours.
A woman at work in the factory.
Ph
oto
:Kako
li M
ukh
erj
ee
Ph
oto
:Kako
li M
ukh
erj
ee
Prescription guidelines violated,
scores of lives being put at risk
AN Ayurvedic doctor in Gola
halli village is prescribing al-
lopathic drugs risking lives of
numerous villagers.
The lone private clinic in Go-
lahalli village is run by Dr. R.S.
Yadav. He is an ayurvedic doctor
by qualification.
As there are no pharmacies
in the vicinity, the local residents
approach this clinic for their
treatment. He prescribes allo-
pathic drugs although he is not
qualified to do so.
The Medical Council of India
(MCI), which is the regulatory
body for doctors in the country,
has set certain guidelines for
prescription of drugs by doctors.
A local, Chenappa, when
asked if he knew about the reg-
ulation, said: “I don’t know any-
thing about the rules. The doctor
treats us well and we are happy
that he practices here.”
Another villager, Saraswati,
when asked if any incidents of
death or injury have occurred
due to wrong prescription of
medicines, said: “No, there have
been no such incidents. The
doctor is very good and we trust
the doctor completely.”
The MCI in its guidelines
says that an Ayurvedic doctor is
not allowed to prescribe allo-
pathic drugs.
The AYUSH (Ayurveda,
Yoga, Unani, Siddha, & Home-
opathy) doctors are still agitating
against the MCI to amend the
regulation and allow them to
practice allopathic medicines.
This is a long standing strug-
gle between the council and the
AYUSH doctors. The MCI has
still maintained a status quo on
the amendment.
On repeated attempts of con-
tact with the doctor, the doctor
refused to comment on the issue
every single time.
Blind people hurt on danger road
BLIND people face a daily as-
sault course of filth, debris
and broken footpaths on their
way to a training center.
The footpaths are in com-
plete disarray. The trainees of
the National Association for the
Blind face a bigger threat as it is
the main road connecting to the
Association.
M. Srinivas, the chief execu-
tive officer of National Associa-
tion for the Blind, said: “The blind
people face a lot of problems
due to the negligence of the au-
thorities.
He also added: “There
should be proper planning by the
authorities and try to make the
infrastructure disabled-friendly.”
The management of the as-
sociation is worried about the
conditon of the pavement.
Narsimhan, a trainee at the
center, said:”The manholes are
deep and create a problem for
us to walk on the footpath.
Some of my old fellow mates
have been hurt while walking on
these footpaths.”
The footpath is regularly
blocked by the vehicles parked
on it.
The slabs of the pavement
are either broken or protruding
and one cannot even step on
them.
Mr. Jay Kumar, the head of
the mobility training center of the
Association, said: “We have
complained a lot of times but no
action has been taken.”
“The only immediate action is
often make-shift and at times,
more dangerous,” he added.
We provide them with mobil-
ity training but it becomes diffi-
cult when a hole that had not
been there before appears all of
a sudden.”
There was no significant re-
sponse from authorities even
after repeated complaints.
The association has decided
to give up even though the foot-
paths seem to get worse by the
day.
“The people need to act
more responsibly as it is a huge
problem for everyone, especially
the blind,” said M. Srinivas,
when asked about the lack of ac-
tion from the concerned authori-
ties.
By Nupur Gour & Tulika Mall By Pushkar Banakar
Ph
oto
:Ag
hila A
lex
Dr. R.S. Yadav
Garbage lying on the broken pavement of Jeevanbima nagar.
Ph
oto
:Tu
lik
a M
all
ALMOST 100 illegal places
of worship in the city are
blocking development proj-
ects, according to state offi-
cials.
Out of 92 illegal temples,
mosques, gurudwaras and
churches in the city, only 12
have been demolished by the
government.
Communities like Hindus and
Muslims have more than 50 ille-
gal temples and mosques, inter-
rupting several BBMP projects..
Chief engineer (BBMP),
south zone, said: “We would
have taken this initiative long
ago but due to political pressure,
we are not able to do anything.
We started demolishing these
temples only six months ago be-
cause they are occupying public
property and government land”.
Assistant Engineer Shiv-
prakash added that they started
demolishing the temples and
planning new parks and devel-
opment projects.
Residents of Jaya Nagar and
J.P Nagar in South Zone say
more than five temples have
been built on the land which had
been ear-marked for an amuse-
ment park. They added, though
BBMP sent a notice to the tem-
ple trustees a year ago telling
them to shift their location, the
temples stand as before.
M.P Gouri, a resident of Jaya
Nagar, said: “We have been fac-
ing problems with temples but
these trustees are creating even
more problems.
“They regularly conduct ritu-
als and dump the waste in the
park, and if anybody tells them
to clean this waste, they behave
like deaf and dumb”.
In 2008, a 15-year-old
Ayyapa temple was demolished
by BBMP because it was built on
the forest department land.
According to the BBMP, the
temple had been the root cause
of traffic problems for citizens in
areas such as Vannerpet,
Jayanagar, and Vijaynagar.
Residents also face prob-
lems each day due to demands
of donations by temple trustees.
A resident, Chandrasekhar,
said: “For every small occasion,
the temple authorities are asking
for funds and that too not less
than Rs.500. We have to oblige
in the name of religion and God.”
There is an old temple situ-
ated in Vijaynagar known as
Maruti Temple which is listed
among BBMP’s 92 illegal and
unauthorized temples. It has
been built in the heart of Vijayna-
gar.
Ph
oto
:Resh
ma T
arw
an
i
An illegal temple in the heart of Vijaynagar.
By Reshma Tawrani
Devotion holding back city’s development
Uncertainty looms despite a million incense sticks a month
City The Weekly Observer 20 September, 2012 | 03
Female addicts get a raw deal
THERE are no rehabilitation
centers exclusively for women
in the city though the number
of women addicts is on the
rise.
There are around 40 drug
and alcohol rehab centers for
men in the city.
Miracle Foundation, India’s
first and only rehab centre for
women, have started admitting
men too because of lack of
funds.
Dr. Prakash of Sai trust Re-
habilitation Center said: “Socio-
cultural changes have altered
the traditional role of women and
the number of women addicted
to drugs and alcohol is increas-
ing”.
Drug addiction and alco-
holism are rarely talked about as
our culture does not entertain
addiction of any kind.
The country’s official statis-
tics never show the number of
female drug addicts.
Thus, the exact increase in
the number cannot be deter-
mined.
Addiction is a medical issue
that requires numerous ongoing
behavioral, medical and recov-
ery support services.
There are a few rehabilitation
centers for men which admit
women.
Detox centers attached to
hospitals treat men and women
on a 28-days program.
There is also a social stigma
attached to female addicts in our
country.
Neetha, a recovering addict,
said: “My friend’s father had
once taken her to Delhi to get
treated, but he was not comfort-
able admitting his daughter to a
facility filled with men and just a
couple of women in a room”.
Preena, another recovering
addict, said: “Indians may wear
coats and ties, but their minds
have not progressed. Women
addicts are considered to be
sluts.”
According to the Miracle
Foundation, majority of women
addicts’ families shy away from
admitting the fact that there are
addicts in their families.
The government should take
steps to address the situation.
“The main problem we face
is from our families and the soci-
ety.
“They are more concerned
about societal repercussions
and that their family name will be
spoiled if the matter comes in
open,” said Neetha.
The doctor further added:
“The age group of women ad-
dicts seeking help at the Sai
Center ranges from 15-60 years.
They begin by sniffing Era-
sex and gradually take up smok-
ing weed, and before long, they
are using hard drugs or party
drugs such as heroin, cocaine
and ecstasy.”
According to the center,
women in the age group of 21-
30 years mostly use party drugs.
Women between 25 and 40
years are housewives and a ma-
jority of them get addicted to
sedatives and prescription
drugs, and a small percentage to
alcohol.
The reasons cited for taking
to drugs are marital problems,
separation, physical abuse, de-
pression and even boredom.
Women in the age group of
40 years and above are mostly
addicted to alcohol.
Dr. Prakash said: “I consider
alcohol addiction to be a dis-
ease, and all addicts should be
cured of it.
“I was myself an alcoholic for
two years, and after I was cured,
I chose to come here and do my
bit for humanity,”added Dr-
Prakash.
Sai Center has treated six fe-
male patients.
The doctor added: “We follow
a 12-step rehabilitation program
followed by AA (Alcoholics
Anonymous).”
He added: “This program
forms the basis of recovery from
all addictions.”
There are no rigid monetary
rules followed and the center of-
fers free treatment and dis-
counts to addicts from the
economically weaker sections of
society.
(Names have been changed to
protect identity).
By: Satyajith GD
Bangalore metro commuters
not yet on their bikesPrivate and Confidential
THE plan to introduce bicy-cles equipped with Global Po-sitioning System (GPS) withinthe metro catchment areasshould finally be implementedby mid-October.
Divya Sridharan, Executive
Assistant Legal supervisor, Ban-
galore Metro Rail Corporation
Limited (BMRCL), said: “We ex-
pect to implement the plan by
mid-October.”
“Our main objective is to pro-
vide commuters with these cy-
cles so that they can travel short
distances for any sort of work
without waiting long hours for
other transport.” she added.
The charge for hiring a cycle
is still not fixed as the authorities
are apprehensive as to how
metro rail commuters are going
to welcome this new proposal.
A person hiring such a cycle
will have to pay an extra sum of
money at the time of purchasing
the metro ticket.
The fare will vary on the
basis of the distance and the
time travelled.
The authorities of the
BMRCL refused to reveal the
name of the company.
They also do not want to re-
veal the service provider with
whom they have signed the deal
of providing these bicycles.
They plan to keep the infor-
mation confidential until and un-
less the plan is successfully
implemented.
The GPS monitoring system-
attached to every cycle helps to-
track them and find parking
space for the commuters.
After the work is done the
person hiring the cycle is ex-
pected to bring it back to their
actual destination.
Cycle stands are supposed
to operate from six main metro
stations which include Byap-
panahalli, Swami Vivekananda
Road, Indiranagar, Ulsoor,
Trinity and M.G Road.
Five to six bicycles were
planned to be made available at
each station.
By: Shromona Bose THE demand by telecom com-
panies to provide bank state-
ments has raised data
security concerns among cus-
tomers.
Under critical circumstances
postpaid mobile customers are
asked to give their bank state-
ments of the last six months as
an authentic address proof if
they wished to effect a change in
address.
Amarnath, an Airtel customer
, who wished to change the ad-
dress for her postpaid number
said: “I am not comfortable giv-
ing my bank statements as an
address proof to a private tele-
com company.
Though we give copies of our
bank statements for issuing a
passport but when it comes to a
private organization people tend
to think twice before revealing
such details.”
The Telecom Regulatory Au-
thority of India (TRAI) considers
a passbook of “any scheduled
bank” as an authentic address
proof.
Private telecom companies
accept passbooks of national-
ized banks alone.
Different verification proce-
dures are being followed by dif-
ferent telecom companies.
Shaifo, Team Leader at Re-
liance World, said, “Recent bank
statements are necessary as
they show that the account is still
running.”
Shafio also added that for the
satisfaction of the customer they
score out the account number
from the document as it is not
required.
He also mentioned that the
misuse of sim cards and data
cables in the past have forced
the telecom companies to take
strict verification methods.
Pavan, Assistant Manager at
a Vodafone Store, said: “We
take bank statements only when
a company asks for bulk con-
nections”.
He also added that for indi-
vidual connections they take a
covering letter, or a copy of the
first page of a passbook of a na-
tionalized bank.
Raghavan, Branch Manager
of Canara Bank, said: “TRAI
rules cannot be amended, so we
give the customers their bank
statements back when they ask
for it after verification.”
He also added that he per-
sonally felt a covering letter
would be sufficient.
It goes to show that there is
no similarity in the rules followed
by all of them.
The insecurity of the cus-
tomers is very justified in this
scenario.
This scenario will affect the
compatiblity of banking and de-
velopment of telecom sector in
the state.
By Sneha Banerjee
Ph
oto
: S
aty
ajith
GD
Ph
oto
: S
neh
a B
an
erj
ee
Ph
oto
: S
hro
mo
na B
ose
Women drinking in a bar.
BMRCL, Shanti Nagar.
Bank documents make mobile connections feasible .
Woes of commuters
(Contd. from page 1)
Commuters were stranded
at Majestic, Shivajinagar, Yesh-
wantpur, KR Market and Ken-
geri BMTC bus stations. Those
who arrived by trains were
stranded at the railway stations.
Some of them hired au-
torickshaws and boarded pri-
vate buses to reach their
homes. Auto drivers fleeced the
commuters quoting a high price.
Ramesh Babu, who had to
visit his mother in St. Johns
Hospital, had no idea how he
would make it to the hospital
from Majestic Bus Terminul.
Electronic City, where many
IT and BT companies are situ-
ated, was also deserted. The IT
companies have deployed Cen-
tral Security Force personnel to
man important infrastructure on
their campuses.
In Mysore, BJP workers
stopped a Kannada film shoot-
ing schedule where a Banga-
lore based actress, Ramya, was
involved. Ramya, who recently
had joined the Congress party,
argued with BJP workers, who
interrupted the shooting.
Cities like Davanagere,
Hubli-Dharwad, Mandya, Shi-
moga, Tumkur and Mangalore
also wore a deserted look.
J.S. Naidu told ‘The Ob-
server’ that he did not support
the introduction of FDI in the re-
tail sector. Naidu was a member
of the Congress for the past
thirty years.
Ghost town: A rare scene at KR Market.
Ph
oto
: A
run
Ch
an
dra
P
ho
to:
Aru
n C
han
dra
Protesters at Town Hall.
The Observer Crew
IIJNM PUBLICATIONS
Opp. BGS International Resi-
dential School
Nityanandanagar,
Kumbalgudu
Kengeri Hobli
Bangalore - 560060
India
Ph.No: +919008805218
Email: [email protected]
Website:www.thesoftcopy.org
For private circulation only
The Weekly Observer
Editor
Sneha Banerjee
Chief Sub-Editor
Kakoli Mukherjee
Photo Editor
Udita Chaturvedi
Page Editors
Krishnaprasad. S
Aheli Raychaudhuri
Reshma Tarwani
Satyajith GD
Proof Readers
Pushkar Banakar
Nupur Gour
Debanti Roy
Shromona Bose
04 The Weekly Observer 20 September 2012 | City
BANGALORE Bruhat Mahana-
gar Palike(BBMP) spends Rs.
75 lakh annually towards main-
taining its offices while gutkha
packets and cigarette butts lie
strewn over the premises.
BBMP premises in Bangalore
are turning out to be convenient
dumpsters for gutkha consumers
and smokers. One of the BBMP of-
fices in the city on J C Road is an
illustration of this menace. The
staff of BBMP flouts the rule of no
smoking in public places and gov-
ernment offices.
“They eat paan, chew gutkha
and smoke in toilet creating prob-
lems to public. We can’t even walk
on the floors of the office. It smells
odd. Gutkha is spit on almost all
the walls of the office”, said Mohan
who visits BBMP often.
Some of the BBMP offices in
the city are situated on the second
or third floor, and there are no
proper flooring facilities. Most of
the flooring at the BBMP offices
have uneven flooring that causes
inconvenience to elderly visitors.
To add to the visitors’ woes,
there are no lift facilities in any of
the BBMP offices in the city except
the BBMP main office at Corpora-
tion Circle.
Bhima Rao, a senior citizen,
said: “How can we walk and climb
till second and third floor? It is very
difficult for us to climb up. They
have to keep all aspects in mind
and work according to it.
But I don’t mind climbing even
if it is difficult hoping that my work
would be done without bribing
them.”
Krishnaprasad. SA youth rally in the city last
week highlighted the problems
of unemployment in the country.
The Democratic Youth Federa-
tion of India (DYFI) conference in
Bangalore started with a protest
march from the Bangalore City
Station to Freedom Park, followed
by a five-day long conference in
the city.
The conference headed by the
All India DYFI President, Mr. Sri-
ram Krishna among other leaders
and prominent personalities, dis-
cussed at length the abysmal state
of unemployment in the country.
Sandeep Alinkeel, Office Sec-
retary of DYFI (Kerala), said: “The
number of job seekers registered
stood at a staggering 3.81 crore at
the end of 2009. 2.9 crore of them
were educated job seekers.”
“About 90 lakh of them were
uneducated. In Kerala alone, more
than 45 lakh people have been
registered for employment ex-
change,” he added.
Ranjeeth AV, a block leader,
said: “We are fighting against glob-
alization, imperialism and commu-
nalism within the country.”
Kavyan C, one of the partici-
pants of the march, said: “The pur-
pose of this march and conference
is not just to tell people something
but to bring a change.”
Alinkeel said: “Unemployment
is a national level issue which has
now turned into a global phenom-
enon.”
The DYFI was concerned
about the alarming unemployment
situation in the country and aimed
to work hard to unite and mobilize
the youth of the country in the
struggle for an empowered India.
This conference was attended
by 750 delegates, including the
members of Central Empowered
Committee, and about 25,000
comrades who attended the rally in
the city.
Alinkeel said: “The Global Em-
ployment Trends 2012, a report by
the International Labour Organisa-
tion, has pointed out the decline in
rate of unemployment in the South
Asia was mainly driven by India.
The growth here has propelled
the increase in labour productivity
rather than the expansion of em-
ployment. This shows that the
much hyped growth story of India
is nothing but a job-less growth.
We believe that both the indus-
trial and the service sectors have
failed to absorb the surplus work-
force from the agricultural sector.
Adding to their woes, govern-
ment’s proposed plans of including
FDI in retail sector will only worsen
the unemployment situation in the
country.”
The march participants believe
the aggravated unemployment sit-
uation reflects the absurdity of a
lopsided and imbalanced growth
trajectory guided by neo-liberal re-
forms.
According to Alinkeel, the
scope of Mahatma Gandhi Na-
tional Rural Employment Guaran-
tee Act should be expanded to
include all individuals and the 100
days cap should be enhanced. Fi-
nancial support, self help groups
and small enterprises should be
enhanced for self employment
schemes”.
The 9th India Conference aims
at building a mass movement
against the problem of unemploy-
ment.
Hopefully, this movement will
somewhat counter unemployment.
Rally highlights unemployment rates in the country
FURIOUS shop owners con-
fronted the city mayor after a
heap of garbage caught fire at
Indiranagar.
Last week the garbage on
CMH road caught fire at about
11:30 am. People went to Bruhat
Bangalore Mahanagar Palike
(BBMP) head office to report the
fire incident. They were denied
entry by the security initially. The
shopkeepers managed to get to
the mayor later.
The Public Relation Officer and
the mayor advised them to go to
east zone office which would han-
dle the entire issue. The mayor told
them that head office is helpless in
this matter, as each area comes
under a specific zone of BBMP.
Although two trucks are always
parked to collect the waste but on
weekend the pile is mammoth and
there are no trucks to collect the
same. Weekends also need some
vehicles to tackle this crisis but the
BBMP is turning a blind eye to it.
The unbearable stink of the
garbage piled near the shops
makes it difficult for their owners to
run their business.
Max retail store on CMH road
is facing this terrible problem. The
owner said:” We are fed up with
BBMP, we lodged more than 65
complaints but they are simply ig-
norant. Most of the times I have to
shut down my shop especially on
weekends which is the best time to
increase my sale.”
The narrow lane on CMH road
is the main entrance which is piled
up with garbage all the time. Last
week the garbage caught fire
which created heavy chaos among
the pedestrians and shopkeepers.
Mayor, D. Venkatesha Murthy,
said: ”I know that the narrow lane
is the main road and has shops on
both the sides. I received more
than 65 complaints from that area
which is always filled up with
garbage and is stinking and
spreading infection. We will take
up this issue seriously within a
week.”
The area is crowded and al-
ways chaotic. The area is the main
centre of shopping and restaurants
which most of the time remains
closed on weekends because of
garbage in front of their shops.
The situation worsens during
rain when this garbage spreads on
the entire road.
Although there have been nu-
merous proposals and promises
made by the officials of Bangalore
Bruhat Mahanagar Palike, the citi-
zens are yet to see them imple-
mented.
The officials will start their work
from the third week of September.
All the arrangements are ready to
be implemented.
Udita Chaturvedi
Youth march from the Bangalore City Junction railway station to the Freedom Park.
THE foot subways on Nrupthanga Road reek of urine and alcohol.
The commuters face problems but have no option other than this
passageway to avoid the traffic overhead. The BBMP has not
cleaned this particular subway in the last 6-7 months.
Ph
oto
: U
dit
a C
hatu
rved
i
75 lakhs granted for
maintainance yet cig-
garette stubs continue to
litter BBMP offices
Pedestrians gasp for breath as
subways flouts basic hygiene
Agitated traders confront
mayor after garbage blaze
Nijhum Rudra
By A
heli R
aych
au
dh
uri
By
Nijh
um
Ru
dra
Garbage on CMH Road.