Sweedal Bonita D’Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jun 10: The Kannur-BC road highway, NH 48 stretch has become a garbage dumping ground. Waste is piled up on the service road at Brahmarakotlu, highway at Kannur and Netravati bridge BC road. Heaps of garbage, mainly plastic waste, are all thrown around and have not been removed for a long time. Though the dumping of waste has become an endless issue, the local bodies have failed to address this issue.
In the absence of a proper waste management system, the residents and people of the nearby areas have dumped waste beside the highway. This not only causes unhygienic conditions but also poses a serious threat to the domestic animals that consume them. With the increase of garbage at the spot, several animals are falling victim to several intestinal and stomach disorders. Pedestrians also find it difficult to walk on these roads due to the stench. Contaminated medical waste can cause hazardous germs to multiply rapidly and drastically increase the spread of disease.
A man named Nagraj from Hasiru Dala was seen holding placards at Adyar to raise awareness on this issue. The placards stated ‘Do not throw waste on roadside’ and ‘The river is slowing nearby, do not throw garbage’. He has been standing there since a week from early morning to 11 am.
“Due to the carelessness of a few people, the rest are facing problems,” he says.
He has collaborated with a few schools and colleges to clean the waste and maintain the cleanliness here. A week ago, students from a particular institution cleaned the waste which was piled up beside the highway at Kannur. “The local bodies should take the initiative to tackle this issue. People should also join hands to bring about betterment,” he says.
He also said, “We will conduct a clean-up drive in the coming days throughout the stretch of Kannur-BC road highway where the locals and local administration will be involved.
Few years ago, Nagaraj was also seen holding placards at Netravati Bridge Thokkottu which has now improved a lot in terms of dumping waste.
The Adyar gram panchayat has now stepped in and put up banners on the Adyar-Kannur highway stretch which says stringent action will be taken for dumping waste.