Chamarajpet: a blot on Bangalore’s landscape

Chamarajpet: a blot on Bangalore’s landscape

K.V. Subramanya and M. Raghuram

It has the most underdeveloped slums

Of the 2.14 lakh voters, nearly 85,000 are Muslims

BANGALORE: The Chamarajpet Assembly Constituency, which hogged the limelight during the 2004 Assembly elections with the then Chief Minister S.M. Krishna entering the poll fray from there, is apparently Bangalore’s eyesore.

Some of the most underdeveloped slums in the Garden City — Padarayanapura, Old Guddadahalli, Bakshi Garden, Anjanappa Garden, Royapuram and Jagjivanramnagar — are part of the constituency. Deprived of basic civic amenities, the people in these slums are living in almost subhuman conditions.

Besides, several communally sensitive areas of Bangalore, which had witnessed large-scale communal violence in the past, are also located in this constituency. Of the 2.14 lakh electorate in the constituency, nearly 85,000 voters are from the Muslim community and they are likely to play a decisive role.

Padarayanapura and Jagjivanramnagar wards, which were earlier in the Binnypet constituency, Chamarajpet, K.R Market and Azadnagar wards constitute the new Chamarajpet constituency.

The former Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan of Janata Dal (Secular), who won from Chamarajpet in the byelection necessitated by Mr. S.M. Krishna’s resignation as MLA, is seeking re-election. Pitted against him are Sayeed Ahmed (Congress) and V.S. Shamasunder (BJP). Both of them have made Mr. Khan’s “failure” in ensuring basic amenities to the public as their major poll plank.

Clogged drains, sewage water flowing on the potholed roads, swarm of mosquitoes, thatched dwellings without power connection, school dropout children loitering on the streets — this was the scene at Bakshi Garden when this correspondent visited the locality on Friday. The scenario is no different in other slums.

According to Mr. Sayeed Ahmed, nearly 70 per cent of the areas in the constituency do not have proper power connections and drinking water is a luxury for the residents of many slums.

Mr. Sayeed Ahmed told The Hindu that thousands of people were yet to get BPL cards and title deeds. Several people are facing health problems because of unhygienic conditions in the slums. He blamed Mr. Khan for the civic woes. He promises that, if elected, he would ensure better drinking water and power supply and improve hospital facilities. Mr. Shamasunder is in total agreement with his Congress’ rival’s views on the poor civic amenities in the constituency. The BJP candidate said that in almost all the slums, sewage was getting mixed with drinking water supplied through the BWSSB pipes.

“I am appalled by the conditions in the slums, which are unfit for human habitation,” he remarked while accusing Mr. Khan and the former Binnypet legislator V. Somanna for the situation.

He said the law and order situation in Chamarajpet had deteriorated ever since Mr. Khan was elected MLA in the 2005 byelection.

Mr. Shamasunder is assuring the voters that he would solve the civic problems and improve the facilities at Victoria and Vani Vilas hospitals, which are situated in the constituency.

Denying these charges, Mr. Khan said he had worked hard to meet every requirement of his constituency, particularly the basic amenities. “It is a normal practice with political parties to level such allegations against their opponents,” he remarked.

Mr. Khan said huge amount had been spent on drinking water supply schemes and drainage improvement. When the slum development programmes were about to be taken up, the BJP brought down the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government, he said.