IT’S A STINKING PROBLEM HERE

IT’S A STINKING PROBLEM HERE
Garbage Menace, Bad Roads, Traffic Congestion And Inadequate Security Are Some Of The Problems BTM And HSR Layout Residents Grapple With
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Residents of Dasarahalli crave for better sanitation; those of BTM and HSR Layout are tired of calling for help to clear garbage in vacant sites and maintain oncebeautiful lakes like Agara and Madiwala. Here is what they expect from the new councillors:
Drains still open
Big drains like the one into which a little boy fell and disappeared months ago are still open and never cleaned. Garbage is dumped on vacant sites. Security, especially for women, is also a big problem as these areas are deserted in the evening. More security measures have to be taken and some mechanism has to be put in place to deal with filth and garbage.
— K Ishwar
vice-president, Muneshwara Layout RWA, BTM


Waste collection absent
Ours is the biggest industrial area in Asia, but till
date we don’t have proper solid waste mana g e m e n t . Systematic waste collection from industry is totally absent. We have
five lakh women working in this ward, but their security is under threat without proper footpaths and streetlights. Even public toilets aren’t there for them. Drinking water crisis is another big issue.
— Bhanu Prakash,
chairman, Peenya Industrial Association



Water bodies polluted
Apart from roads and sanitation, other problems are also rampant in this ward. O ve r h e a d water tanks a re n’ t cleaned or m a i n t a i n e d well, and even lakes are polluted with industrial waste. With urbanization, most residents have lost agricultural land. Without access to ration card also, people are finding it increasingly difficult.
— Venkatahanumaiah
former panchayat member and resident of Dodda Bidrikallu



Traffic diversion a pain
We are hurt by the unilateral decision of BBMP/BDA/police to divert entire Ring Road traffic into HSR Layout, thus disturbing a residential area and causing tremendous inconvenience. They
should have been sensitive to the privacy of residents and shopkeepers here. We expect the elected councillor and civic agencies to study this in its entirety and implement suggestions soon. We also expect integrated effort by all civic agencies to ensure efficient functioning. Basic infrastructure and clean living conditions should be the priority.
— Brig R S Murthy
president, HSR Layout
Sector 2 RWA



Clean vacant sites
In HSR Layout, there are 4,000 houses in 9,000 sites. The vacant ones are full of filth. The authorities do not permit us to clean them. At least the site owner should maintain it. Many hotels in the area throw waste in these sites. We call HSR ‘Hazaron Sole Nagar’ now because of the mosquito menace. There are six to seven lakes in Bommanahalli zone. Agara and Madiwala lakes are close by but they aren’t cleaned or maintained regularly, making them a breeding place for mosquitoes. In 2007, the roads were asphalted, but later we had to file an RTI to find out whether anyone checks the bitumen quality. The quality of roads is very bad.
— G S Krishnamurthy
president, Federation of
HSR Layout RWAs



Coordination a must Garbage menace and continuous ongoing work with roads dug up are perennial problems. There is no coordination at all between the authorities. The roads are
mutilated as they’ve
let traffic flow from the Ring Road to roads inside the layout for the past seven months. It is not just the noise and pollution, but it’s extremely unsafe for children who play outside. Authorities didn’t even consult us before doing this.
— R S Hiremath
vice-chairman, Federation
of HSR RWAs