Cup of woes brims over

Cup of woes brims over


Raghavendra R
First Published : 10 Dec 2008 04:58:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 10 Dec 2008 10:17:16 AM IST

BANGALORE: Ward Woes: This ward is the finest example of sheer negligence by civic authorities. Residents crave for an area with well-maintained parks, tarred roads, garbage disposal system, etc. However, most basic infrastructure facilities have remained just a dream.

These areas have narrow roads with rough terrain. Almost every road in the ward makes driving stressful.

“Except a few connecting roads, the majority of roads are in a pathetic condition. Roads that were laid when the area was formed have not been asphalted thereafter,” alleged Venkatesh, a resident of Nagarbhavi II Stage.

“Apart from bad roads, lack of streetlights and stray dog menace makes the locality unsafe. Civic agencies are least bothered about the residents’ safety,” he says.

Swaroopa of Vinayaka Layout, said that it was not only bad roads and absence of streetlights; lack of parks for recreation activities worries the residents. “Earlier to Greater Bangalore, no development works were undertaken. We hope that under BBMP, the residents would see some developments happening here,” she opined.

Complaining about same problems, Chicktayamma, a resident of NGEF Layout, lamented that roads which were asphalted at the time of state Assembly elections, are already wearing out. “Before elections, few shoddy works were carried out. Thereafter, nothing much has been done. In most of the areas, road metalling has been done, thereby making the roads unsafe for motorists when it rains,” she added.

Devaraj, a resident of Kengunte, said that garbage clearance and undesilted drains were the problems faced by the residents here. ``The pushcarts are irregular to collect the garbage and they are even paid Rs 20 per month by each house owners.

If by any chance the authorities concerned desilt the drains, they leave the debris by the side of drains. This emanates bad smell and breeding place for the mosquitoes,’’ he opined.

Sunkadakatte on Magadi Road, which comes under this ward, is no better than other areas. Except main road, all other crossroads are done metalling that explains the sorry state of affairs here. The area lacks proper drainage system and garbage clearance. “The main road, which handles heavy traffic, is too narrow and congested. Traffic crawls during peak hours. The authorities can develop this road into a double road with a median. Adding to our miseries, there is no designated parking space or bus stops and it is the best example of footpath encroachment,” lamented Anand, a shopkeeper.

That apart, the ward boasts of Beggars Colony on Magadi Road. It is one of the 14 destitute homes in the state and the biggest have access to medical and mental healthcare for about 800 beggars. There are five dormitories for men and one for women inmates. The objective of the Institute is to rehabilitate the beggars in Bangalore City.

Ward areas: Muktharayaswamy Layout, Telephone Employees Layout, Beggars Colony, Narasimharajapalya, Sajjepalya, Kottigepalya, Hanumantha Nagar, Bhairaweshwara Layout, Sunkadakatte, Annapurneshwari Nagar, Viranpalya, Chandrashekar Layout, Krishnananda Nagar, Malegalu, Nagarbhavi II Stage, 1 Block, 2 Block, 3 Block, 5 Block, 6 Block, 7 Block, Marilingappa Extension 9, 10, 11 & 12 Blocks, Vinayaka Layout, ITI Employees Layout, Kengunte and NGEF Layout.

History: In Kannada, Nagarbhavi means ‘A well of snakes.’ It is not conclusively known, however, why it is called so. One school of thought is that the name is due to the high number of snakes present in the area. Also, some believe that it is called well because of the surrounding hillocks that are no longer present due to rapid urbanisation.

Located in West Bangalore, Nagarbhavi ward has a population of 33,811. Earlier to delimitation, the ward was under Rajarajeshwari Nagar City Municipal Council (CMC). The ward houses Dr Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Padmashree Group of Institution’s College of Nursing and Wockhardt Hospital among others. These areas are very thickly populated. The BDA Shopping Complex in Nagarbhavi II Stage, on the ring road, is abuzz with commercial activities.

Ward Woes: This ward is the finest example of sheer negligence by civic authorities. Residents crave for an area with well-maintained parks, tarred roads, garbage disposal system, etc. However, most basic infrastructure facilities have remained just a dream.

These areas have narrow roads with rough terrain. Almost every road in the ward makes driving stressful.

“Except a few connecting roads, the majority of roads are in a pathetic condition. Roads that were laid when the area was formed have not been asphalted thereafter,” alleged Venkatesh, a resident of Nagarbhavi II Stage.

“Apart from bad roads, lack of streetlights and stray dog menace makes the locality unsafe. Civic agencies are least bothered about the residents’ safety,” he says.

Swaroopa of Vinayaka Layout, said that it was not only bad roads and absence of streetlights; lack of parks for recreation activities worries the residents. “Earlier to Greater Bangalore, no development works were undertaken. We hope that under BBMP, the residents would see some developments happening here,” she opined.

Complaining about same problems, Chicktayamma, a resident of NGEF Layout, lamented that roads which were asphalted at the time of state Assembly elections, are already wearing out. “Before elections, few shoddy works were carried out. Thereafter, nothing much has been done. In most of the areas, road metalling has been done, thereby making the roads unsafe for motorists when it rains,” she added.

Devaraj, a resident of Kengunte, said that garbage clearance and undesilted drains were the problems faced by the residents here. ``The pushcarts are irregular to collect the garbage and they are even paid Rs 20 per month by each house owners.

If by any chance the authorities concerned desilt the drains, they leave the debris by the side of drains. This emanates bad smell and breeding place for the mosquitoes,’’ he opined.

Sunkadakatte on Magadi Road, which comes under this ward, is no better than other areas. Except main road, all other crossroads are done metalling that explains the sorry state of affairs here. The area lacks proper drainage system and garbage clearance. “The main road, which handles heavy traffic, is too narrow and congested. Traffic crawls during peak hours. The authorities can develop this road into a double road with a median. Adding to our miseries, there is no designated parking space or bus stops and it is the best example of footpath encroachment,” lamented Anand, a shopkeeper.

That apart, the ward boasts of Beggars Colony on Magadi Road. It is one of the 14 destitute homes in the state and the biggest have access to medical and mental healthcare for about 800 beggars. There are five dormitories for men and one for women inmates. The objective of the Institute is to rehabilitate the beggars in Bangalore City