Families residing at the Kalpalli electric crematorium in Bengaluru allege that garbage trucks have been dumping dry and wet waste on the premises for nearly three months, severely degrading living conditions. The vehicles reportedly display banners for the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan (Service Resolve Campaign), a month-long initiative launched in September to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in power, alongside photographs of the local MLA and the Prime Minister. S. Raghu, the BJP MLA for C.V. Raman Nagar, has denied involvement, stating he would be the last person to engage in such dumping and suggesting his name may have been misused.
The crematorium is home to 17 families from the Kalpalli burial ground and two from the electric crematorium, many of whom live in makeshift shelters and work as grave diggers. Residents claim that at least two trucks arrive every hour from 7 a.m. until as late as 7 p.m., depositing sanitary waste, wood cuttings, and general garbage around their homes, the registrar’s office, and the graves. The resulting stench makes daily life difficult, and residents report that when they attempt to stop the trucks, the drivers threaten to have their jobs removed. The dumping has also disturbed families visiting the burial ground to pay respects to deceased relatives, who are now confronted with piles of waste near the graves. A resident stated that while some families have accused the crematorium staff of accepting money to allow the dumping, the staff maintain it is their duty to keep the area clean and do not understand why they are being targeted.
