Figures won't do, give us trees, better parks and pavements, say women

Figures won't do, give us trees, better parks and pavements, say women

Sumaa Tekur



The BBMP budget is out. But there is much scepticism among the homemakers. "How will this address my immediate concerns," is the question on almost every homemaker's lips. When asked to list their problems on priority, they unleash a barrage of woes.
"The BBMP should take up road asphalting seriously. But then what is the use? They asphalt the road and the next day someone else arrives to dig it up. The cycle goes on," says Anitha Srinivas, mother of two and resident of HBR Layout, taking a break from having lunch to shares her problems with DNA.
"They should also stop cutting trees. We should live our lives around the trees. Also, there are too many stray dogs. I just cannot take my two-wheeler out on the streets," says she.
But she is relieved when informed of the BBMP's plan to set up five swimming pools. "I hope one of them is near my home so I don't have to take my kids all the way to the Basavanagudi pool," she says.
Veena Seshadri, a resident of Shankarapuram, is miffed with the lack of civic sense among the citizens. "Any little space on the pavement next to a tree is turned into a garbage bin. Why is the BBMP not imposing a hefty fine on such people," she asks.
Pavements are dug up unnecessarily and traffic system is in a mess, she says. "LED lights are fine for the city. But how about thinking in terms of alternative sources like solar lights," asks Veena.
What makes Parizaad Berlin, a resident of Diamond District on Old Airport Road, furious is the Palike's unplanned tree planting campaigns. "Such drives are good for the city. But saplings are planted anywhere, and later they have to be removed because they come in the way of wires, or the road," she says.
There is no monitoring of the laying of pavements. "One day you find the path okay but the next day, there is a gaping hole. Workers may have removed the slabs to lay cables but such a dangerous spot should be cordoned off," she says.
There are not many parks or places where Preetha D'Souza can go for her evening walk near Hutchins Road, and this bothers her. "Open spaces and a bit of green can do so much to transform an area," she says.
Resident of Whitefield, Sabah Arakkal, has a similar problem in her area. "There is space for a park, but no benches, no planned area for those who want to exercise. I cannot take the pram inside the park," she says.
The school buses that ply in the residential area drive rashly. "They almost ran me over twice. There must be some monitoring of these buses," says Sabah.