Mangaluru: A drainage cleaning drive by the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) near Sharada Vidyalaya in Kodialbail has left residents and local businesses grappling with garbage accumulation, with extracted silt and waste left unattended along the roadside, turning parts of the street into informal dumping spots.Though the drains were cleaned, the failure to remove the debris has reportedly encouraged passersby and students to discard plastic bottles, snack wrappers and other waste at the site. The garbage has accumulated near an electric pole and at street corners opposite Sharada Vidyalaya, creating an eyesore and causing inconvenience to people in the area.A local shop owner said the cleaning work had been carried out about a week ago, but the debris remained on the roadside. “They cleaned it about a week ago. But they left the extracted silt and garbage right on the roadside, and now people and students casually throw plastic bottles and snack packets there, turning it into a dumpyard,” she said.A staff member at a cafe in Kodialbail said the problem had continued despite action against littering. “This dumping has been happening continuously because the cleaning debris was left behind. Even though the municipality fined people up to Rs 2,000 yesterday for littering, individuals keep adding more plastic and waste packets to the existing pile,” the staff member said.Pradeep, waste management supervisor at the MCC, said the drains had been cleaned three days ago, but the extracted silt and garbage were left on the roadside by the cleaning crew. This had prompted people to dump additional waste on the existing heaps, he said.Responding to the complaints, Deepti N, assistant executive environmental engineer at the MCC, assured residents that the matter would be looked into immediately. “I will check this immediately and direct the concerned health inspector to visit the location, inspect the site, and ensure the accumulated waste is cleared promptly,” she said.Residents and shopkeepers expect the civic body to remove the accumulated debris and ensure that waste generated during future drainage cleaning drives is cleared without delay.
