Litter bins

BENGALURU: Litter bins across the city are turning out to be targets of vandals: At least 500 bins have either been stolen or damaged in the last few months.

A confession to this effect was made by the BBMP on Monday following an informal audit of the 2,200 dustbins that have been installed in different parts of the city. The needle of suspicion points towards: One, miscreants who steal dustbins to be sold to scrap-dealers. Two, shopkeepers who feel that dustbins mar the aesthetics of their commercial establishments.

Dustbins on important roads, including M G Road and Church Street, have been either pulled down or their lids have been taken away and as a result, garbage is found strewn all over the place. “These are bins of smaller sizes. “We’ll use CCTV footages from vulnerable areas to nab the culprits,” a BBMP official said.

BBMP joint commissioner Sarfaraz Khan said the dustbins were being vandalised because the shop owners did not want litter to be accumulated in their vicinity as it would deter customers from entering the shops. Referring to an incident where a dustbin was dismantled and thrown two days after it was installed, Khan said: “They (shopkeepers) wanted the location of the dustbin to be changed. But it’s difficult to find such spots in busy commercial areas. In some cases, dustbins are stolen as they have resale value.”

Another BBMP official said the 200-kg twin plastic litter bins, fitted to the ground, were meant for the use of shoppers and pedestrians in heavily congested commercial areas and were being misused by shopkeepers.

“Bins have been tampered with in almost all areas like in Malleswaram, Commercial Street and Yelahanka. The bins are of high capacity and meant for public to use, but the shopkeepers in the areas are loading them with their waste causing them to overflow and form a black spot. Shops have door-to-door collection and are not supposed to use the litter bins. There should be sensitization about the purpose of the bin at zonal level,” he said.

The BBMP installed over 2,000 litter bins across the city in accordance with the Swachh Survekshan 2018 guidelines.

Install 100 bins in one month: HC to BBMP

The high court on Monday directed the BBMP to install 100 smart bins—each with 1.5-tonne capacity— within a month across the city. The court also directed the joint commissioner of health and solid waste management to expedite the process and file an affidavit in two weeks. The court directed the BBMP to ensure that these bins are periodically cleared without allowing garbage to spill over. The smart bins, equipped with sensors, will relay information to contractors when they get filled. They have been installed on a pilot basis near Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park.

