BENGALURU: About 190 residences across Bengaluru have so far had garbage dumped right outside their doorsteps as part of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML)’s new crackdown on litterbugs. While civic officials say the tough action is already deterring public littering, residents are sharply divided over the method.“This is a good thing because people are now being cautious and not dumping waste outside, fearing that it might be dumped back at their doorstep,” said Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Banaswadi, adding that people have finally realised the civic body means business.“People are educated, yet they are the ones littering, while those who are uneducated are cleaning up after them. People need to be more aware of their mistakes — this must be handled more responsibly,” said Murthy Rao, also from Banaswadi.Not everyone agrees with the punishment though. Many residents say the move glosses over the gaps in the waste collection system and penalises people for the civic authorities’ shortcomings.Some residents claim they were wrongly targeted because of missed or irregular garbage collection. “We are barely awake in the morning to hand over waste and sometimes pourakarmikas don’t collect it. When we keep the waste at our gate, they skip our house — how are we responsible for that? Dumping trash in front of my house is not the solution,” said Akhil Singh, a resident of Indiranagar.Echoing the frustration, Rahul Lal, who works night shifts, said, “I finish work around 2:30 a.m. and wake up late. Sometimes when I do come early to give waste, they refuse to take it because it’s not segregated. How can we manage all this? Dumping garbage outside our homes isn’t the answer.”According to BSWML Managing Director Karee Gowda, the campaign was launched after multiple awareness drives failed to curb littering. “We are taking strict action to send a strong message,” he said, adding that fines between Rs 2,000 and Rs 10,000 are being imposed on violators.Officials maintain that the drive — which has already helped reduce garbage “black spots” from 869 to 150 — is working as intended. But as Bengaluru debates the ethics of naming, shaming, and dumping, the message is clear: the city has lost patience with those who treat its streets like bins.
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