KNOW YOUR CONSTITUENCY

KNOW YOUR CONSTITUENCY

BTM LAYOUT
For a locality developed as a composition of three largely underdeveloped areas, BTM Layout (Byrasandra, Tavarekere and Madiwala Layout) has come a long way. Now regarded as one of the most prized real estate pockets in Bangalore, BTM Layout has also thrived on the real estate spillover from neighbouring Koramangala.
The new constituency, with 146 parts, comprises the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) wards of Lakkasandra, BTM Layout, Madiwala, Koramangala and Ejipura. With thousands of voters from other districts and states being part of the electorate, BTM Layout offers interesting electoral possibilities considering that the constituency has been one of the worst-hit in terms of infrastructure issues.
The constituency is virtually bisected by the ever-bustling Hosur Road, with Koramangala and BTM Layout falling on either side. Koramangala has emerged as a commercial and residential hot-spot, reflecting the best of new Bangalore. One landmark that stands tall announcing this is the Forum on Hosur Road. The mall, complete with a multiplex and a host of branded outlets, has become a hub of activity attracting people from across the city. This, when basic demands like a foot overbridge to cross the road at the signal near the mall are still in cold storage.
Koramangala, which also houses the National Games Village, continues to be a top residential choice for upper middle-class Bangaloreans, though rampant commercialization has robbed the area of some of its sheen. The IT/ITES boom in the late 1990s has had a telling impact on the BTM neighbourhood, with a flurry of companies setting up shop and thousands of employees settling down in apartments, hostels and paying guest facilities in the vicinity. The IT surge has also led to a real estate boom — at times artificial — in the area. Residential space in the core areas of BTM Layout is more or less saturated, as reflected in the host of apartments that have come up, even in the cramped bylanes of Maruthinagar and Tavarekere Main Road.
The boom has, predictably, spilled over to other areas in the vicinity like Bannerghatta Road and Bommanahalli. This, again, when civic infrastructure continues to be a concern across the constituency.
Areas like Maruthinagar and Tavarekere have been prone to flooding for long and continues to be. The narrow roads that dot the layout’s main areas have not helped when vehicular traffic seems to be on a perennial rise. The peak hours on Hosur Road — right from Madiwala to Adugodi and beyond — leave commuters drained. The situation is not any better on the ring road and Sarjapur Road, where even the service roads run packed. There seems to be no fall in traffic from BTM Layout towards the city centre and to the Bommanahalli-Electronic City stretch.
The Madiwala neighbourhood, while being a hub for private interstate bus operators, also has a number of bars and wine shops. Night life is active in most parts of the constituency, some times reflected in accidents and road crimes.
Major areas
Lakkasandra, Adugodi, Dairy Circle, Koramangala, Saddugontepalya, Ejipura, Jakkasandra, Venkatapura, Madiwala
Landmarks
St John’s Hospital, National Games Village, Bangalore Dairy, Central Silk Board, Forum Mall, Madiwala Mosque
PROBLEMS
Earlier
Surge in commercial activities like hotels, piled-up litter, virtual land price boom
Now
Teeming traffic, narrow roads, flooding
ELECTORAL REGISTRATION
OFFICE BBMP Office, 1st Floor Shopping-Complex, 4th Block, Jayanagar-Bangalore - 11

• 22975735 PADMANABHANAGAR
For long perceived as a residential area, Padmanabhanagar has moved on with the times. Comprising major residential and commercial areas like Banashankari and some parts of Jayanagar, the new Padmanabhanagar constituency assumes importance in the Bangalore politician’s scheme of things. And it’s not entirely because of the presence of its celebrity resident, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.
Padmanabhanagar — carved out of the three Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) wards of Padmanabhanagar, Ganesh Mandir and Yediyur — is one of the major constituencies in the southern parts of the city, with around 2.2 lakh voters spread over 137 parts.
The constituency has a good number of schools and hospitals. Though commercial activity is on a perpetual rise in
many pockets of Padmanabhanagar, the constituency continues to be identified with its old Bangalore roots, complete with the darshinis. Areas like Kumaraswamy Layout and ISRO Layout account for a major residential component in the constituency.
Banashankari, spread over different stages and blocks, is the showpiece area in the constituency. Banashankari has also emerged as a major shopping destination. While businessmen aren’t quite complaining, the change in profile has also led to disgruntlement among old residents. The situation has more or less been replicated even in areas like Kathreguppe and Kadarenahalli that were never considered commercial localities. Thimmaiah Road has also evolved as a shopper’s hangout in the past few years.
The sealing of commercial buildings during late last year and the subsequent opposition had turned the media focus on Banashankari and its neighbourhoods. Though the building bye-law violations and unchecked rise in commercial activity continue to raise the residents’ ire, the picture is not likely to change in the coming years. A case in point is 24th Cross, that has been classified as commercial under the new master plan. Residents point out that while commercialization, at many levels, has become a way of life across the city, there should be greater focus on setting right the problem areas when it comes to services extended to the people.
Residents of Chikkalsandra and neighbouring areas say that disposal of garbage and maintenance of sanitation amenities leave a lot to be desired. Areas like Hanumagiri have in the past paid the price for having an ineffective drain system. A recent spurt of rain further reinforced the impression that some areas of the constituency are still prone to flooding.
Senior citizens and children are not best placed when it comes to lung spaces within this constituency. Residents in Banashankari had set an example by fighting it out in the court to get a park sanctioned near the Raghavendraswamy Temple. While major residential areas have a few parks around, the number is not enough, according to the residents.
Major areas
Banashankari, Dattatreya Nagar, Kathriguppe, Chikkalsandra, Teachers’ Colony, Kadarenahalli, Kumaraswamy Layout, Eshwara Nagar, ISRO Layout, Yediyur, Parts of Jayanagar
Landmarks
Sri Lakshmikantha Temple, Sri Ganapati Temple, Kidney Hospital, Hill Side Hospital, Deve Gowda Hospital, Deve Gowda Petrol Pump
PROBLEMS
Earlier
Battered roads, connectivity issues, ineffective drains
Now
Rise in number of bars and wine shops, building bye-law violations, commercial activity in residential pockets, few parks
ELECTORAL REGISTRATION
OFFICE BBMP Office, Chennammanakere Achhukattu, Bangalore - 28

• 22975717