Heavy traffic, unusable footpaths are their bane City Ballot Problems

Heavy traffic, unusable footpaths are their bane City Ballot Problems

Chitra V. Ramani
An old area struggles with rapid growth minus the infrastructure
— PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN

ROAD TO CHAOS: With footpaths either in need of repair or encroached upon, pedestrians in Malleswaram are forced to step on the road.
Bangalore: Malleswaram is one of the oldest residential localities in the city. It is a growing commercial hub and figures among the posh areas of Bangalore. Yet, residents here have plenty of grouses, and bemoan the fact that the once idyllic and green locality has become congested and polluted. Traffic is a major problem, accentuated by lack of parking space in most wards coming under Malleswaram Assembly Constituency, which comprises Aramanenagar, Mathikere, Malleswaram, Rajamahal Guttahalli, Kadu Malleshwara, Subramanyanagar, and Gayathrinagar wards.

“With increasing commercial activities, the number of people coming to Malleswaram has seen a rise. This has created problems for residents and shoppers alike,” said Meera Kumar (name changed), a resident of Rajamahal Guttahalli.

Wing Commander S.S. Padbidri (Retd.) from the Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative, a residents’ welfare association, said Malleswaram lacked well-laid footpaths. “In many areas, footpaths are in dire need of repair. At a few other places, they remain unusable by pedestrians, as either construction material is dumped on them or they have been encroached upon by shops and vendors.”

Senior citizens’ plight
He said that Malleswaram had a huge population of senior citizens. “They are put to a lot of hardship because of the state of footpaths. They often end up walking on the main road, with heavy traffic on one side and vendors and shoppers occupying the footpaths.” He said that the civic agency had also not been able to do anything about encroachments.

K. Subramaniam, president, ITI Layout Residents’ Association, Mathikere, said the major problem in his area was lack of a proper sewer outlet. “The area gets flooded even after a small spell of rain. We have complained several times (to the authorities), but to no avail. The elected civic representatives earlier, and now the MLA, have only been making