Mysore/Mysuru: At a time when plans for proper garbage treatment facilities — centralised or otherwise — for Mysuru remain resolutely on paper, the indiscriminate dumping of garbage by the wayside of holy sites is making life miserable for people.
A day after Sri Chamundeshwari Rathotsava atop the Chamundi Hill where thousands of devotees had gathered, the Hill has become a garbage dump with plastic waste, cups, sachets, prasadam packets strewn all over. Waste also comprises floral remains, incense residues and miscellaneous ritualistic offerings to the deities.
Steps leading up to the Hill and roadsides are in a mess and last evening’s rains has worsened the problem. Devotees have discarded food packets on the road. While the Temple was spic and span in the morning, ready to welcome devotees, by evening, it turned a dump yard.
Cleaning of the Hill is the responsibility of Chamundi Hill Gram Panchayat (GP) and the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) coordinates with the Panchayat only on major occasions.
Green activists say that unregulated prasadam distribution at Chamundi Hill in the name of festivals is the main reason for the place turning into a garbage dump.
“Those wanting to distribute prasadam must seek permission or licence from the MCC or the Chamundi Hill GP and they must be held accountable for cleaning too. Also, during festivals, more dust bins must be put along the places where there is large devotee movement. This mess will be a regular affair unless the prasadam distribution is regulated and until there is a sense of accountability. Even devotees must realise that they are turning the place filthy after offering prayers,” said an environment activist.
This is the sight of the third world dump called Mysore-not the imaginary Tech India, a shiny country which idiot Narendra Modi, the PM likes to project.
What do you expect in a city and in a country where the street corners are used as toilets?
The whole Dasra and this Rathothsava have been used to earn money for the pockets of politicians and officials. This Chamundi Hill so called pilgrimage is exploited well by the Temple’s chief administrators and the chief priest to pocket wads of Rupees by offering special darshans to the rich. For other masses of people, the so called prasadams-which in the name sake only as they are prepared in a unhygienic kitchens outside, and sold to the unsuspecting ignorant devotees at profitable prices. The police and other officials get their slices of money from the prasadam vendors.
The whole thing is a con game to ensure that money goes into the pockets of the officials, all in collusion to get their slices of the share.