Residents await new leaders for a green salvation

Residents await new leaders for a green salvation

Bosky Khanna. Bangalore



When it comes to green assets, the core areas of CV Raman Nagar are quite in contrast with the upmarket areas in Indiranagar or off Airport Road.
Although it enjoys a status of premium residential hub, CV Raman Nagar suffers from a diseased lung. Its skyline is crammed and the verdant look is fading. Long-time residents are pining for the olden days of green and clean living.
The constituency does not have a single park or playground. According to residents and experts, this place is a clear example of planning gone awry or planning given the go-by.
President of North Extension GM Palya Residents' Welfare Association A Muniraju says the constituency has lost over 35% of green cover to the mushrooming apartment complexes and high-rises. What the residents find most intriguing is that the constituency lost so much greenery to housing alone although it has not been commercialised like neighbouring Indiranagar and lacks basic amenities like flyovers, underpasses, and grade separators.
"There are no playgrounds and parks in the constituency. This is because all open areas have been put under construction. The whole of CV Raman Nagar has narrow roads but flats are aplenty. Even avenues are sparse. Since there are no parks and playgrounds, senior citizens are forced to walk on the roads at their own risk. Children suffer the same," says Muniraju.
According to welfare officials, the worst affected area is Kaggadasapura. The area has gone totally grey. Roads are not wide and apartments are numerous leading to high vehicle population and consequent congestion. By contrast, Tippasandra fares better with fairly good green cover, at least along the wayside. BEML factory and its contribution to greenery should not be forgotten.
Despite all this, CV Raman Nagar is "rich" in number when it comes to lakes. The constituency has Suduguntapalya lake, Byrasandra lake, Kaigadasapura lake and Doddakundi lake. But they are all shadows of their former shells. The fate of these lakes is same as that of other lakes in the city — neglected, polluted beyond imagination and mindlessly encroached upon.
"The worst part is to see these areas being used for dumping wastes and defecating," says a retired Army official who lives in a residential colony adjacent to the Defence Colony.
Residents' welfare associations of the constituency have written letters to the Lake Development Authority and BBMP officials and the result has been zero. Residents say they hope to retrieve some lost ground with the help of the newly elected corporators.
Environmentalist and chairman of Eco-Watch, Suresh Heblikar, points out that in the past, most parts of the constituency were full of mango, guava and coconut orchards. But uncontrolled constructions gobbled them up . Rating the area eight out of ten, on a scale of one to ten, where one is the highest and ten is the lowest. Environmentalists say Kaggadasapura and Vibhutipura and surroundings have let down the constituency badly.