Nagpur: The newly developed Besa-Pipla Road, which took years to complete and was mired in controversies over construction and delays, may finally be offering motorists a smoother ride. But when the traffic movement was starting to improve on the stretch, another civic problem began to pile up.Several portions along the road have turned into informal garbage dumping points, with waste being repeatedly thrown along the roadside. What is particularly concerning residents is that some of these spots had been cleaned recently, only to be littered again.Residents of housing societies along the stretch said the garbage piles were damaging the appearance of an otherwise improved road. “We have spent so much on our homes and societies, and now the approach road looks like a dumping ground. It is embarrassing when visitors come here,” said Mohd Akheem, a resident of a nearby housing society.Another resident said the problem had persisted despite repeated complaints. “The road has finally become usable, but now garbage is being dumped all along it. The authorities need to identify who is actually dumping the waste and take action,” resident Alok Nanda said.However, shopkeepers and other local residents have a different version of events. They alleged that waste collected from nearby housing societies was being dumped on the roadside by garbage collectors.“It is easy for the societies to blame the Nagar Panchayat, but we see garbage collection vehicles and workers coming from these societies and dumping waste here. The waste does not appear on its own,” said a shopkeeper operating along the stretch.Another shopkeeper claimed that the problem had worsened after the road became more accessible. “Earlier, this area was not as busy. Now vehicles and people come here regularly, and some garbage collectors simply leave the waste by the roadside. Everyone is blaming everyone else, but nobody is stopping the dumping,” he said.The issue assumes significance as district collector Kumar Ashirwad had recently made a surprise inspection of several areas in Besa and Beltarodi to assess garbage management. Following the visit, the Nagar Panchayat undertook cleaning at several locations, including some of the dumping spots along the Besa-Pipla Road.However, residents say the recurrence of garbage at the same locations raises questions over whether the cleaning exercise has addressed the root cause of the problem.“The Nagar Panchayat comes, cleans the garbage and leaves. Within a few days, the same place is back to square one. What is the point of repeatedly cleaning if nobody is checking who is dumping it?” asked another resident, Deepak Makhija.A senior NP official told TOI that a strict enforcement drive against garbage dumpers is on the cards.
