Shady deals in the heart of darkness

Shady deals in the heart of darkness
S Lalitha, Bangalore, DH News Service:
Portions of secluded, residential colonies in the City are getting transformed into dens for unethical activities between late evenings and the wee hours...


Thanks to the support extended by unscrupulous linemen, streetlights stop working conveniently.

And, with the police turning a blind eye to repeated complaints, many house owners, particularly senior citizens, find themselves totally helpless when their areas are invaded by strangers.

Adults found in compromising positions inside parked cars or quiet corners, call girls hanging around street corners and youngsters with stocks of drugs, booze and cigarettes make their appearance once dusk falls. Police sources revealed that stretches at Hayes Road Cross, R M V II Stage, Sadashiva Nagar, H S R Layout, Domlur, Inner Ring Road and Jayanagar are the thriving spots for such illicit activities.

Residents at Hayes Road and Hayes Road Cross, Indira Nagar First Stage elaborated on the embarrassment and the disturbances these events cause to their daily lives. Hayes Road, a vital link between Residency Road and Richmond Road, is dominated by NRIs, coffee planters and doctors. A couple of bulbs burn dimly leaving a major portion of the street in darkness. The junction linking Hayes Road with Hayes Cross is pitch dark.


A senior citizen, who went to lock her gate on Friday night, was alarmed to notice two adults making love inside a car near her house. She immediately informed the police control room. “Those out to have a great time can do so in our area due to the absence of street lights. It has been the same for over five years. But, problems have aggravated now since the street light at the corner was removed to install a transformer,” she says.

BESCOM put up an electric post near it a couple of months ago but did not provide the bulbs! “Electricity officials said it was the responsibility of BBMP to do so,” she recalls.

Another senior citizen recalls shooing away call girls seated on the staircase of his office.

“They go away when you scold them but are back the next day. It is not possible to keep track of them every day, and you give up.” Another citizen recalls sweeping her compound clean of condoms, empty bottles and syringes in the mornings. The shocking fact is that a beat policeman visits Hayes Road on a regular basis, signs the mandatory log book and pushes off.

A doctor at Krishna Temple Road in Indira Nagar First Stage states that call girls solicit in the area during the day. “It is disgusting to watch them, and the customers bargain on a daily basis. We complain regularly to the police station, but the warnings they issue is just not enough to put an end to the activities.” Despite repeated attempts, BESCOM officials could not be accessed.