Jayanagar Complex

JAYANAGAR COMPLEX
COMPLEX PROBLEMS
Solutions In Sight With New BMP Project

The Times of India


Bangalore: Jayanagar Complex, an island of bustle in the sprawling residential locality, is more than just a shopping mall. Nestled amid the 500-odd shops are six government offices, a railway booking centre, a regional transport office, tutorials and restaurants —all accommodating a traffic of over one lakh people every day.

And for access to this crowded premises, you have just two elevators and a few flights of stairs.

Worse, the elevators are about 30 years old, slow and rickety. Inside, the display boards don’t work and space is unkempt.

The stairs offer little comfort. The edges of the steps are chipped off and some banisters broken, exposing a rusty framework of wrought iron.

“The lift does not stop on our floor and customers are scared of taking these stairs,” says an official at the railway booking office on the second floor. Senior citizens in particular have to face an ordeal, reaching there.

The RTO is the worst hit. With offices on the third, fourth and seventh floor, it’s not just those who come to the office, even the 1,500 employees who often need to commute between the floors, find the going tough. “We’ve cried ourselves hoarse to the BMP, but nothing’s ever happened,’’ said Syed Shafi Ahmed, RTO Bangalore South and secretary Regional Transport Authority, Bangalore Urban.

But there is hope at hand. Corporator N Nagaraj has issued tenders for new elevators and says the staircases will be renovated by August under the Rs 2-crore Swachcha Utsava project. The project, launched 15 days ago, involves cleaning up the area, at night. But it evidently isn’t enough, and residents have slowly begun to avoid the complex unless completely essential.

The problem of carbon monoxide-loaded air and din of buzzing generators can’t be ignored. The BMP is now investing Rs 50 lakh on a new generator system, where each floor will be able to draw power collectively. Whether the various shop owners associations will switch to the this system is need to be seen.

The hawkers or “pavement dwellers’’ of the complex, every shoppers’ delight, are a common enemy. While the 4,000-odd employees feel they add to the clutter, shopkeepers feel cheated as hawkers eat into their business. “We pay rent or lease to set up our shops in the building,’’ said shop assistant Manjunath. Nagaraj seems determined to have them evacuated for good, though they are known to have political backing. Parking space for the close to 35,000 two-wheelers and 5,000 cars that wheel in everyday is a constant worry. Employees at the complex feel it should be reserved for them and the shopkeepers. Visitors, of course, have a different view. Nagaraj says once the hawkers are evacuated, there will be more space. “But beyond a point, there is not much one can do. There’s parking facility in almost all surrounding lanes, but with increasing number of vehicles, how much can we accommodate?’’ he says.

The issue of beautification of the complex has led to much debate. “This is a government complex and therefore a reflection of us. Every day hundreds of people leave the complex with a poor impression of the government,’’ says Ahmed. The counterview to that comes from Jayanagar 4th block residents’ association secretary Keshavakumar, who says that beautifying the place will only attract more crowds.

Nagaraj, however, is determined to pull up his socks and promises that by August, the Jayanagar Complex will wear a new look.

RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT


One has to wait for really long for the lifts and they don’t stop on all floors. I had to get off at the third floor and climb down to the second. And something must be done about the hawkers who crowd around.
— Vasanthakumari, senior citizen, Jayanagar III block

The place, though considered posh by real estate developers is always filthy and smells. Why can’t we have brighter walls and better flooring? Such a pity, since the complex has been largely responsible for making Jayanagar a selfsufficient and self-contained area. The BMP must act soon and make the place beautiful.
— Sahil Dheer, Software professional, Jayanagar V block

The Jayanagar complex has been here for the past 40 years. But over the last decade, I have hardly found twowheeler parking space in the evenings and people have to hunt for parking space
— K Ramaswamy, Insurance agent, Yediyur