Garbage station at bus stop near Hebbal irks residents, commuters

BENGALURU: A bus stop at the Veterinary College on Ballari Road between CBI Junction and Hebbal has turned into a secondary transport station for waste collected in the ward, leaving commuters waiting for and alighting from buses gasping for fresh air.

According to employees at the station, auto-tippers collect waste generated in nearby residential areas and bring it to them. Compactors collect the muck from there and take it to dry/wet waste units for disposal.

“Auto-tippers reach the garbage station by 8am and transfer waste to compactors till 10am,” said an employee.

Earlier, waste would be shifted to compactors in residential areas itself. But after locals complained, ward-level officials set up the secondary transport station next to the bus stop a few months ago, another employee said.

A couple from Anandanagar waiting to board a bus to reach Yelahanka said it would be helpful if BBMP shifts the garbage station. “We can’t bear this foul smell. The government is chanting about Brand Bengaluru. Having a garbage station at the bus stop on the road connecting to Kempegowda International Airport is not good,” said the couple.

Sunandamma, a homemaker, said she takes a bus at the Veterinary College stop whenever she visits her daughter in Byatarayanapura. “The smell irritates me. I notice some people busy digging into the waste heaps and looking for recyclables that they can salvage. Earlier, this place was utilised by traffic police to park towed vehicles,” said Sunandamma.

Pratibha R, joint commissioner of BBMP’s solid waste management, said her section hasn’t permitted anyone to run a secondary transport station at the bus stop. She promised to visit the place for inspection and “take necessary steps to avoid inconvenience to the public”.