Explore new Bangalore

Explore new Bangalore

The DNA-IMRS project surveyed 1,100 residents across Greater Bangalore, coming up with the definitive list of the city's livability index. This quality-of-life metric is defined by a respondent's experience and perception of facilities like housing, education, entertainment, infrastructure, and security, among other things

Senthalir S. Bangalore



Whitefield was a retirement colony for Anglo-Indians till the late 1980s. But now, it has grown rapidly to house a large number of IT companies. Recently, many swanky malls have come up in the area. Whitefield has changed rapidly over the last decade to house more IT companies, shopping complexes and posh residential buildings such as Palm Meadows.
Well-maintained layouts are the hallmark of Whitefield. "The locality we live in is very quiet. Compared to other areas in the city, crime rate is very negligible here. We have been living here for the last 20 years. Earlier, there were only 10-20 houses in the layout. But now the entire layout is full and lots of malls have come up," says Yusuf Arakkal, artist and sculptor.
He says the USP of the area is wide roads and neatly organised layouts. "The only problem is the increasing number of apartments. In the next five years, there is not going to be any drastic change. But slowly, it is becoming a commercial area with lots of restaurants and malls lined up," adds Yusuf.
Senior citizens, however, are not very comfortable with the changes around them. "We came to stay here in Whitefield in 1970. It was a very friendly place for senior citizens. There was a panchayat close by and paying bills was easier. Now, we have to travel a long distance just to pay water bills. It really is a problem," says Surekha Reys, a teacher, who resides in Whitefield.
She adds that Whitefield was transformed into a city municipal council and now is part of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). It has become new Bangalore with many shopping complexes. The showcase road in Whitefield is the Inner Circle and it has one of the oldest CSI churches, around 100 years old.
Krishnamurthy DP, a resident, says the land value has shot up by 75-80 per cent since 1996. The famous roads in Whitefield are Inner Circle, Borewell Road and ECC Road. "Many Anglo-Indians stay in Whitefield especially in the old Whitefield areas. There are a good number of hospitals and also educational institutions here," says Krishnamurthy. Surekha says that fortunately, a large portion of greenery in this area has remained untouched. Despite the development, there is acute shortage of water. The drainage system has to be improved. The area is becoming overcrowded and is no more a place for senior citizens.