Residents shoulder BBMP responsibility

Residents shoulder BBMP responsibility
Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: The city is abuzz with reports of rising threats of dengue and chikungunya and the government planning big to check the epidemic. But even after years of complaining to the local authorities about the abysmal civic conditions, lanes in Kalasipalyam remain choked with clogged open drains, heaped garbage and rising mosquito population.
Residents of AM Street in Kalasipalyam have decided to wait no more and have completed the first phase of cleaning their locality, all in a day. After gathering around at 5 am, they collected some funds, got in some DDT and slabs to cover the open drains and treat the heaped garbage in their lanes.
According to Kishore, who runs a medical store, civic infrastructure has been long-neglected. Residents have complained about open drains spread across the wholesale market and improper disposal of garbage. “We had written a letter to our MLA about this in June and were assured of immediate action. It has been weeks now but we are yet to see any development. We got together and the action took us less time than waiting for the authorities to react,’’ he says.
Chappani, a social worker, says all it took was some spraying of the DDT and laying of slabs to cover the open drains. “Everyday, we have so much talk about the rising threat of epidemics. We are keen to take all precautions to prevent the epidemic before it strikes,’’ he adds.
Reacting to the poor support from their local civic authorities, Kishore says, “Most of us have been active BJP workers, campaigning for the party in the last few years. Our complaints to the party workers have always been met with responses like ‘unless in power, we will be unable to do anything’. Now, even when the party is in power, it has been difficult to move things in the right direction.”