Garbage hauling on the KR road leaves pedestrians with a stench

Since there is no transfer station nearby, Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd. on Thursday is using the footpath and KR Road near the National College Metro Station to move waste, causing inconvenience to pedestrians walking to the station. | Photo credit: MURALI KUMAR K.

Carrying garbage on the road, stagnation of seepage water on the footpath and stench emanating from it keep pedestrians off the footpaths on Krishna Rajendra Road in VV Puram, a key pedestrian stretch in South Bengaluru.

Officials at Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd. (BSWML), however, said that a private commercial contractor is carrying out waste transportation on the stretch, against which they have lodged a verbal complaint with the police.

KR Road, which is a major road connecting several popular stretches in the city including Gandhi Bazaar, Vani Vilas Road and South End Road, also houses the National College Metro Station. With several bus stops and a metro station on the stretch, KR Road is also a key pedestrian corridor.

But now, at both ends of the metro station, garbage hauling has become a regular daily exercise, despite numerous complaints from pedestrians and commuters. Ironically, this comes at a time when the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is launching footpaths and says it is focusing on pedestrian safety.

A daily nightmare

Rajappa, an autorickshaw driver, told The Hindu that the compactors are placed at multiple places on different days, causing an unbearable stench along the entire stretch.

“When we first complained, they had moved from the Indira canteen side to the other end, towards Vani Vilas Road. Now they have expanded by occupying one more site near the Bescom office,” he said.

Rahul Gowda, a student of a college nearby, said they have stopped using one side of the stretch as the smell is unbearable. “The leaked liquid stagnates on the pavement and when it rains, the entire stretch becomes impassable. So many college students use this pavement, yet they continue to carry waste at the same spot,” he said.

Mr. Gowda also noted that they had stopped transporting waste at the same place for a few days but it started again.

To act

A BSWML official who oversees waste collection in Chickpet limits told The Hindu that the compactors and vehicles deployed along the stretch belong to a contractor that collects waste from bulk generators. “We alerted the contractor and later we filed a verbal complaint with the police, after which an inspection was carried out and they stopped operations at that location. Now they have restarted operations,” he said.

The official said they will hold a meeting soon to discuss the matter.

Published – 8 Oct 2026 22:47 IST