A welcome initiative

 It was heartening to read that Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) is taking a citizen friendly initiative,  aimed at disposal of unwanted furniture, mattresses, old clothes, and such other items which are not picked up by the daily waste collector. Most of the time citizens are in a fix as to where and how to dispose of these things. So they get thrown here and there. A walk along many of the roads except perhaps those in CBD , greets us often  with abandoned mattresses, pillows, broken, torn sofas, old sanitary fittings like washbasins, cisterns, flush tanks etc strewn on footpaths, roadsides and even in corners of some parks. Citizens with a better degree  of civic sense are also in a quandary. How and where to dispose them? So they pile them up for some time in their houses and then call some informal waste collector and hand them over. Perhaps some of this material may also be finding its way on to pavements. 

  In this background, BSWML's initiative is to be appreciated. However for its effective implementation, awareness about such a facility is crucial. It is not enough to have an app, because there may be many who are not aware of the app and the system in place. The public must be made aware of the facility and repeatedly,  so that everyone knows where to call, how to escalate matters etc. The information about the app,   the numbers to be called, may be displayed at strategic points like bus stops, metro stations, behind buses, autos etc.  BSWML  could place hoardings at vantage points, make the message clear and eye catching. The response time of BESCOM and BWSSB is quite good. If BSWML could also ensure good response time and monitoring protocol, this long standing problem may find a solution