Mangaluru: Alleging improper waste management at Subrahmanya Road railway station, the Kukke Shri Subrahmanya Rail Commuters and Development Committee has raised serious concerns over the accumulation and disposal of garbage on the premises.Prasad KG, president of the committee, said that complaints regarding waste accumulation have been raised over the past three months with the panchayat development officer (PDO), but no action was taken. The committee has written to Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta, MLA Bhagirathi Murulya, DC, ZP CEO and other authorities in this regard.He alleged that railway authorities had been burning waste on the premises, and that despite bringing the issue to the PDO’s notice, there was no response. The matter was later escalated to higher officials, including the executive officer (EO) and chief executive officer (CEO), following which the PDO visited the site and only a small amount of waste was removed. After recent rains, the accumulated waste has started emitting a foul odour, and also concerns about possible diseases, he said.Prasad further stated that the station is completely ignoring established rules for proper waste segregation.He questioned why households and small business owners are issued notices for non-compliance, while similar rules are not enforced at the railway station.He also alleged that instead of proper disposal, attempts were made to dump waste by digging up a pit.Responding to the allegations, Bilinele gram panchayat PDO Chandravati Rai Palthady said bulk waste generators such as railway establishments are responsible for managing their own wet waste.She said that the panchayat collects only dry waste and wet waste has to be managed by themselves. The railway authorities had been informed since March to segregate waste and arrange for disposal, including transporting dry waste to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF). However, she alleged that the waste remained mixed, making it unsuitable for processing.The PDO said instructions have been issued from the taluk to the railways, and the waste is likely to be cleared by Monday.An official from the Mysuru division of South Western Railway said the matter is under investigation, and a detailed report will be prepared after gathering complete information.The official said no action has been initiated yet, as the matter has been referred to the appropriate authority for further steps.
