FORGOTTEN LAYOUT

FORGOTTEN LAYOUT
Development is something residents of Ashtalakshmi Layout in Puttenahalli have never seen. Unsteady and irregular progress in the area has turned the place into hell
Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: A road stretch mercilessly dug up, abandoned and spotted with stagnant, stinking water puddles bubbling with breeding mosquitoes and breathing larvae. Newly-laid trenches on either side choked with polluted drain water. There is an unfinished structure of a huge mori at the dead end that was once planned to connect from Sarakki Lake through Dollar’s Colony via 24th main.
But water has been finding a way out on either side for a year due to land disputes. And a few yards away lies a borewell — the sole source of regular drinking water.
That, in short, welcomes one to Ashtalakshmi Layout in Puttenahalli, unchanged for years now. It is a layout where the BBMP has little idea what its agencies are doing, and relief works are announced at regular intervals but rarely taken up. It is even more rare to see them completed.
NEVER-ENDING PROBLEMS
There are five lanes that run parallel with 60-80 houses each. All face a perennial problem — flooded roads, overflowing drains and fever due to the mosquito menace.
This low-lying layout at the Sarakki Lake catchment area is the worst-hit during rainy days. The floods last year had catalyzed a few development works in the past six months, and these are still in progress.
The local MLA visited the area two days ago and initiated some relief works. But what irks the residents is unsteady and rather irregular progress. It was a lot better even two days ago, say residents. The crude road was dug up for repair and abandoned. And water entered their homes again when it rained.
“It’s getting unbearable,’’ complains Ratnamma, a worried housemaid. She lives close to the filled trench, and is most upset with frequent medical expenses. Last weekend, she shelled out Rs 800 to treat her 5-year-old daughter for fever and vomiting.
25 LONG YEARS OF PAIN
Lakshamma has been seeing it all for 25 years now; she is worried and angry. Eight children in her family are down with cough, headache and fever. “We will not vote again. Vote haaku antha ellaru, heltaare aadare nam kashta kivige yaaru haakalla,’’ she screams. She pointed to the thin blue pipes laid two years ago for Cauvery water, but which run dry — water is ready to be supplied but most of it is stalled by
pending drain works to avoid contamination. Surprisingly, there have been no complaints with water supply so far. But with the unhygienic conditions increasing and sewage lines leaking, many resort to buying drinking water cans or boil and filter water before use.
‘CAN’T EVEN STEP OUT’
“Forget getting your vehicles out, it’s difficult even to step out,’’ says P S Sakrapani, an ex-serviceman. His concerns — safety of his handicapped wife trying to step out of the house and the vacant upper floor with no tenants for the past six months.
“Nobody wants to stay here. Most of us come from the lowermiddle class. We have spent all our savings on these houses.’’
“It seems there will be no permanent relief,’’ says Natarajan, another resident who has seen BBMP make a complete mess of the layout over the past 15 years.
It’s not just help they seek, but permanent solutions to permanent problems.
UNCHANGED FOR YEARS
Ashtalakshmi Layout in Puttenahalli is always flooded every monsoon This is a low-lying layout at Sarakki Lake catchment area All drains are choked Fever, malaria and other diseases are common
RESIDENTS HAVE NO CHOICE
They say they will not vote again The roads are so bad, forget taking out a vehicle here; one can’t even walk Leaking sewage pipes have mixed with drinking water Many resort to buying drinking water cans