We are not happy, says Kormangala

We are not happy, says Kormangala

Residents blame encroachments and congestion for the sorry state of affairs in Koramangala

Shruti Goutham Bangalore



The residents of Koramangala spoke on Sunday and they spoke really hard. DNA kicked off its Speak Up campaign in Koramangala to provide a platform for citizens to air their grievances and the residents took the opportunity to highlight the sorry state of affairs in their area.
Encroachment of footpaths was the biggest problem, said Brij Mehra, a resident. "Construction materials are dumped on the footpaths, while darshinis (South Indian fast food outlets), hawkers and shops occupy the footpath leaving no space for pedestrians to walk on," he said.
CM Bhat, another resident, was opposed to Koramangala as a residential area making way for commercial establishments. "How can that be allowed?" he asked, urging the civic authorities to stop issuing licences to commercial establishments. Diah Kamat, who lives on 6th Main Road, complained about water-logging in her area. "Should I stop paying taxes for a year, and use that money to get the problem fixed by myself?" said a visibly frustrated Diah. "It is the generation of people's power," said Justice MF Saldanha, former high court judge and chairman of Karnataka chapter of Transparency International, who was the chief guest at the event.
He advised the residents to form a committee to hold corporators and civic agencies accountable.