Development at any cost

Development at any cost
Many promises were made on Thursday, but the one regarding completion of work on Residency Road went unfulfilled. Nevertheless, civic amenities are set to improve in not only Indiranagar, but also far-flung areas like Byatarayanapura and Hebbal
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Despite numerous protests, the government will not compromise on development issues like widening of roads. Minister for IT, BT, BWSSB and Bangalore Urban district-in-charge Katta Subramanya Naidu made this stand very clear during his visit to Hebbal and Byatarayanapura on Wednesday.
He termed protests against road widening as anti-development. “Parties and local MLAs must cooperate with the government instead of involving themselves in protests as part of vote bank politics,” he said.
He also said the government will not reconsider the decision to widen 89 roads already identified for the purpose. Land losers will be compensated as per law. “There is a need to widen another 500 roads in the city. (What’s past is past). While there will be no compromise on the roads already identified, we will meet with MLAs before going ahead with the remaining roads,’’ he said.
Congress MLA Krishna Byregowda said MLAs from the city will cooperate with such efforts, provided the government took them into confidence. “The government has so far not provided regular information to MLAs on most development works in their own constituencies. They should minimize the inconvenience to public while such works are taken up,” he said. He sought widening of roads in peripheral areas on priority.
Preparing for next monsoon
The minister visited Gangamma Layout, off V Nagenahali Road, with Byregowda and BBMP and BWSSB officials to take stock of the situation there. The area was flooded during the recent rains, as were Bhadrappa Layout, Sanjaynagar and Balaji Layout.
As a way out, it has been decided to construct 250 m long storm water drains to divert rain water away these low lying areas towards Hebbal lake. Naidu said within the next 18 months, the railway line in Gangamma Layout will have underpasses at six points for the free flow of drain water. In addition, the Hennur railway underbridge will also be made 60 metres wide. BBMP has taken up 23 projects worth Rs 30 crore to develop storm water drains connecting Hebbal lake.
Cauvery water in newly added areas
One of the main problems in newly added areas under BBMP jurisdiction is inadequate supply of drinking water. The residents of Jakkur village in Byatarayanapura, for instance, are dependent on borewell water as they have no supply of tapped water.
The BWSSB maintains that much of these newly added areas will be tackled with the additional supply of 500 MLD of Cauvery water through the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme, Stage IV Phase II. “We are now in the process of tendering related works. The entire process is expected to be complete in the next two years’’ BWSSB chairman P B Ramamurthy told reporters. He also said a few layouts in these areas are already getting Cauvery water.
But tackling the interim period is
the problem. “When pipelines in 90%
of the areas were laid 6-8 months back,
a two-year wait to see water flow
through them is a bit too long. By that
time, the pipes will be rusted,” Byregowda said. Even the few areas in his
constituency that have been receiving Cauvery water are among the old layouts. He urged the government to consider alternative arrangements for better water supply to these areas. “The government should go ahead with plans like treatment of Belandur lake water,” he added.
The MLA also spoke on the Arkavathy issue pending before the Supreme Court. “Once the verdict is out, the government should take initiatives within its reach to make things favourable for farmers,’’ he said.
Public library at Byatarayanapura
The minister visited Jakkur to inaugurate a public library and a women’s community centre worth Rs 12 lakh. Foundation stones were laid for other development works. The road from NH-7 to Jawaharlal Nehru Advanced Science Research Institute will be developed at a cost of Rs 5.57 crore. Further, the main road and arterial roads in Narsipura I and II Stage and Teacher’s Layout will be developed at Rs 20 lakh and Rs 15 lakh respectively.