Garbage heaps mar C’magaluru’s scenic routes

Chikkamagaluru: Pranchi, a tourist to Chikkamagaluru, had great expectations about the ‘Land of Coffee' and its beauty, but she was disappointed as she was welcomed by heaps of waste along the scenic routes in the Malnad town.
For the first time, Pranchi, along with her friends from Bengaluru, visited Chikkamagaluru to enjoy a weekend, but she felt the coffee town was no different from Bengaluru in terms of waste management. "We entered Chikkamagaluru district through Mudigere via Belur and travelled to Kalasa, Sringeri, and Koppa. It was so disappointing to notice huge waste at the entry points of the towns. It was a threat to nature's beauty," says Dev Sai, a tourist.
Visitors travelling through Malnad's picturesque Koppa, Sringeri, Mudigere, and Narasimharaja Pura towns are met with roadside heaps of garbage. The situation is no different in dry areas like Kadur, Tarikere, and Birur. The scenic routes are tainted by plastic waste, alcohol bottles, construction debris, and foul-smelling garbage, making travel unpleasant for tourists.
The tourists, as well as locals, blame the local body authorities for their lapses and negligence in taking care of waste. Apart from plastic waste, one can notice meat and medical waste being dumped beside the street. The outskirts of all the major towns in the district have turned into dumping yards. People from towns, particularly meat shop keepers, dump remains on the outskirts.
A meat shopowner, blaming the local body, said, "We have no option but to dispose of waste in vacant areas. The waste collection is not systematic, and the civic workers hardly collect waste," he said.
Harsha, a resident of Kadri Midri, claimed the road leading to his village, which passes through Sai Angels School, has turned into a dumping yard. Despite complaints, nothing changed, he said.
Zilla panchayat chief executive officer HS Keerthana was not available for comment.