The sight of piles of household waste, plastic, and discarded material accumulating on vacant plots between residential buildings is becoming familiar in Indraprastha Layout, Swavalambi Nagar. Despite regular door-to-door garbage collection by NMC, residents say indiscriminate dumping continues to plague the area. According to residents, some people continue to use empty plots as dumping grounds. Complaints to the civic body have occasionally resulted in waste being cleared, but relief is short-lived.

 

his garbage dumping also attracts hoards of stray cattle and dogs to the area, further creating nuisance for residents. Residents said that earlier, waste pickers would sit on the plots and segregate garbage, collecting recyclable material while leaving remaining waste behind. Following objections from residents, the practice was stopped, but illegal dumping has continued. One resident pointed out that merely installing garbage bins may not solve the problem. “The situation reflects a serious lapse in civic sense. If people do not have civic sense to dispose of waste properly, even bins will not make much difference,” she said. Residents want the NMC to move beyond periodic clean-up drives and introduce deterrent measures.