Litter troubles for Bengaluru’s lung spaces 

These vendors have been here for generations. Many of these vendors do not have dustbins near their stalls and ask the buyers to look for dustbins and dispose the waste. 
| Photo Credit: File Photo

“Every morning, when we come to Lalbagh for our walk, we find leftover food and wrappers, soft drink bottles and other litter lying around. These are left by the people who buy things from hawkers inside but refuse to put the waste in the bins. The waste collection only starts from 9.30 a.m. onwards,” said P. Sadashiva, president, Lalbagh Walkers Association. 

Although plastic is completely banned on the premises of Lalbagh Botanical Garden, littering of other materials goes on despite the reported efforts of vendors to keep it contained to dustbins. Around the famous rock structure in Lalbagh are scores of vendors who have their business set up on tables. They sell flavoured milk, soft drinks, cucumbers, corn, raw mangoes among other things. There are also ice cream carts spread across the garden. 

These vendors have been here for generations. Many of these vendors do not have dustbins near their stalls and ask the buyers to look for dustbins and dispose the waste. This invariably leads to littering.

“We have strict instructions to not sell anything plastic. So, we do not do that. We use biodegradable materials, and we always ask buyers to look for a dustbin and dispose of it. While the visitors from foreign countries always throw them in bins, our people fail to do it and thus litter the place,” said Shanthamma (name changed), a vendor in Lalbagh. 

A similar litter problem exists in Cubbon Park too. Here hawkers are not allowed inside but are allowed to set up shop outside the gates. “In Cubbon Park, people are allowed to bring their own food or from the vendors outside and eat it inside. Unfortunately, most of them never throw the waste in the bins. When we come in after public holidays especially, we can see a lot of waste around, including plastic water bottles. There are also coffee and tea vendors who sell them in wax coated cups which are again thrown around the park,” said Sunita Kumar from Cubbon Park Conservation Committee. 

She added, “Another problem is that of diapers. Parents do not go to washrooms but end up changing diapers in the park and throwing them away behind trees or in corners. We also see these balloons which are up on the trees which are almost as dangerous as manja to birds.”  

The Horticulture Department denies that there is any littering inside both the lung spaces. “In Lalbagh, they have their fixed places near the rock, and they do not come anywhere else. In Cubbon Park, we have no hawkers at all. Even if there is some littering, our teams are constantly on the ground cleaning the park. The citizens should also become more aware and use dustbins,” said D.S. Ramesh, director, Horticulture Department. 

Even though the officials claim that the hawkers are only restricted to one place in Lalbagh, long term hawkers there said that the newer ones are found near the lake and scattered at some other places. Visitors too admit that they are sometimes heckled by these vendors. 

Visitors say that a designated vending zone in Lalbagh might help keep all the businesses contained in one place and possibly help stop littering. “We do not want to move away from here (near the rock) as people are used to buying from us here. A more organised set up could help us with security. In the nights, when we leave our stock here and go, a lot of it is stolen sometimes by residents of neighbouring areas who bully the security guards and come in,” Ms. Shanthamma added.