Man 'addicted' to trash collects and stashes garbage at home

Kolkata: Barely days after Kolkata woke up to the horror of a man living with his sister’s corpse for months, another man has been found in the city ‘addicted’ to stashing his house with trash collected from dustbins and garbage containers. Following a complaint by municipal councillor Tapan Dasgupta, police on Sunday reached the man’s house in South Kolkata’s Golf Green and were shocked to find the place full of garbage, including rotten vegetables, broken dolls, tyres and plastic bags. [caption id=“attachment_695814” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representative image. AFP[/caption] Neighbours say 38-year-old Sandip Saha has been collecting such trash for the last several years. Saha lives in the two-room house with his mother. “We have been trying to reason with them for a long time, saying Sandip needs medical attention, but they never listen to us. On the contrary, they argue and often quarrel with us,” a neighbour said. “From dead dogs, cats and fish, to rotten vegetables and plastic bags, he has been collecting all kinds of trash for the last 10 years. Living here has become unbearable due to the stench,” said another neighbour. Sandip’s mother Anita admitted that her son needed medical attention. The police party could not find Saha at home and were now trying to trace him. “He has developed an addiction for collecting such things. He has been doing this for several years now. He needs to see a doctor but what can I do,” asked Anita. Sick of the growing trash in the house, Sandip’s father Nihar Ranjan now lives separately. “How can I live here? The entire house is full of garbage. I tried a lot to take him to a doctor, but his mother always prevented me. Both my son and wife need medical treatment,” said Nihar Ranjan. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Division) Santosh Pandey told IANS that the municipal corporation had been asked to clear Saha’s house of the collected garbage as it posed a serious health hazard. With the city yet to come to grips with the 44-year-old Partha De who confessed to living with the corpses of his sister Debjani and two dogs, the fresh report of the garbage-collecting Saha created consternation. “In the wake of the Robinson Street incident, we are all very apprehensive about this incident. So I had to seek police intervention. It is an effort to ensure that the man is provided medical attention that he sorely needs,” said municipal councillor Dasgupta. Investigating the death of Arabinda De, whose charred body was found inside the washroom of the house, police on Wednesday night stumbled upon the maggot-infested skeletons of his daughter Debjani De and two of her dogs in the bungalow at 3-Robinson Street in south Kolkata, which has now become a centre of public attention. Arabinda’s son Partha confessed to police that he was living with the skeleton of his sister, who died six months ago. He also admitted to feeding the skeletons, including those of the two dogs. IANS