Kumara Park Still Reels Under Drain, Garbage Stink

TIMES CIVIC — 10 KUMARA PARK
Ministers’ presence matters
But Kumara Park Still Reels Under Drain, Garbage Stink
The Times of India

Bangalore: “All’s well in Kumara Park”. That’s the first impression this ‘ministers’ locality’ gives to any visitor. The streetlights are in place and so are the roads, free of potholes.

Yes, Kumara Park is free from traffic congestion and broken pavements, thanks to the presence of residences of our ministers: deputy chief minister M P Prakash, agriculture minister Srinivasa Gowda, and public works minister H D Revanna.

“Because this is a ministers’ locality, there is not much problem in terms of power and water. But the rest of the area is infested with various problems. Near the railway track, people get drunk and create a lot of nuisance,’’ said Smigdha Mehlotra, a neighbour of M P Prakash.

Near the railway tracks, garbage is dumped by almost all the residents of the locality as there is no other place. “Worse, no one cleans it as the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike states that the area comes under the railway authority. Ditto is the claim of the railways. But eventually we residents face a problem,’’ said Parathasarthy M, another resident.

But the bylanes hold no semblance to the ‘ministerial neighbourhood’. Garbage piles lie unattended to for days, and when it rains, all that enters homes. “The sweeper comes once in three or four days. By then the area becomes so dirty that residents on the ground floor keep their windows shut tight for obvious reasons. Even the drains are not cleaned, private help has to be hired frequently,’’ said K Nanjundappa who has been here for over 12 years.

Kumara Park, monikered ‘the VIP’ locality of the city, also has its share of problems when it rains. “Each time it rains, the area is water logged. It is impossible to get out of our homes. The telephone connections go for a toss and those don’t get repaired for weeks together,’’ added Nanjundappa.

The Seshadripuram underpass that was under construction for almost a year, caused traffic jams in the bylanes of Kumara Park. “During peak hours, there are frequent traffic jams as many school buses come to pick up/drop children. And the area is so dirty, but each time chief minister (N Dharam Singh) passes by, our neighbourhood is sparkling,’’ said Bhakti Wadhwa who is a resident since a decade.

No doubt Kumara Park is better off than many other localities of the city, but residents claim they have paid a heavy price settling here. The ‘pretty’ place definitely needs a relook, probably some frequent visits by the chief minister!

OTHER PLANS

•Sirur Grounds will have an indoor gymnasium, badminton courts, auditorium, etc.

•The Nehru Park will be developed at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

MLASPEAK: DINESH GUNDU RAO
During rain, there was some problem with garbage disposal as there was no specific location to dump it. I’m looking into that. Also we are planning a triangular children’s park in the locality and we are installing a signal at the II Main Road as per residents’ request.