Bengaluru: "Are we supposed to be living in the city's tech corridor or a slum?"
A poser to this effect left BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath scurrying for cover as the residents of Mahadevapura put him on the spot over the pathetic road infrastructure in the locality. The chief commissioner was in the tech corridor, the zone that generates the highest revenue for the state govt, on Friday as part of the ‘Aayuktahara Nade Valayada Kade' initiative to interact with people and address their grievances. Likening the living conditions in Mahadevapura area to that of a slum, the residents pointed out jagged and pothole-ridden roads, lack of illumination, inefficient garbage collection system, irregular water supply, traffic jams on a daily basis, waterlogging, and the menace of tanker cartel, among other problems. More than 50 complaints were received in all.
A resident of Garudacharpalya said, "We can't travel on ITPL Road; we can't even walk as the drainage pipe is broken near Garudacharpalya Metro station. The number of potholes is unimaginable, and the garbage on the road isn't getting cleared. Because of bad roads and traffic, we lost a pregnant woman who couldn't reach the hospital. The roads are so occupied by parked cabs we can't even walk."
The residents also pointed to the drinking water problem nagging the 22 wards in the zone, which has made the locality a fertile operating ground for the tanker mafia. On this, the chief commissioner ordered the release of the Cauvery Stage V water as soon as possible.
Residents from Agadur ward raised complaints over the rude behaviour of the waterman. "We're continuing to struggle for drinking water, and all the borewells are drying up. We request new borewells until we receive Cauvery water," one resident said.
A few residents also requested the BBMP chief to pay attention to the problems faced by independent houses instead of responding only to the grievances of apartment residents.
Giri Nath said: "As we got a lot of complaints, majorly from 2-3 wards, our zonal team will first visit these wards and then visit weekly to cover all 22 wards."