April 8: The BJP, which has been given a clear mandate to govern the city, now has the task of living up to the expectations of the people. Its 111 corporators, representing the various wards, will be under the watchful eye of Bengalureans who will want to know if they are delivering on the promises which brought them to power in the city. The new councillors will find plenty to occupy them, should they be willing to shoulder their responsibilities, as the city is crying out for better roads, efficient garbage collection, more greenery and lakes.

Greenery

It is obvious to everyone that Bengaluru’s reputation as a Garden City is under threat. According to one estimate, over 10,000 trees were reduced to stumps over the last two years alone in the city while it gained more infrastructure. Nearly 90 per cent of these trees were felled for just two projects, the Metro Rail and road widening, which could still claim many more trees as they near completion. Vinay Srinivas, of Hasiru Usiru, says the government had little idea how many trees Bengaluru had before it began to axe them down. “Even now, several new projects are being planned without any consideration for the trees which will have to make way for them,” says Mr Srinivas, pointing out that the city’s landscape has been changing for the worse in recent years with large trees making way for the dwarf ornamental kind. “Medians now have ficus plants in pots instead of trees,” he observes.

Solid Waste

Bengaluru may be making waves internationally with its giant leap in information technology, but its roads are littered with garbage, denting its image as a city of the future. Heaps of garbage on the roads are a common sight in the city which generates around 3,200 metric tonnes of waste every day.

Little has been done to collect and dispose of the waste more methodically although the civic body was directed years ago by the Supreme Court to have scientific landfills ready by December 31, 2003. BBMP is still making do with only three dumping yards at Mavallipura, Maddur and Doddaballapur, points out environmentalist A.N. Yellappa Reddy. Worse still, contractors given the job of cleaning the city, often dump the garbage on its outskirts, angering farmers, who are forced to put up with the stink and the health risks involved.

Not only does the city need a better system of garbage collection and disposal, but it must also learn to segregate waste to make sure it does not pollute the environment, emphasises Mr Reddy.
“For instance, bio-degradable waste can be converted into organic manure, which may even prove profitable for BBMP,” he adds.

Lake development

While BBMP claims to have spent over 650 crore on restoration of Storm Water Drains (SWD) to avoid flooding of low-lyingareas during the monsoon, very little has changed. In fact, two children and an adult were washed away in overflowing drains only a few months ago. While 60-year-old Venkateshwaru and seven-year-old Abhishek fell into flooded drains in Lingarajpuram, 18-month-old Vijay was washed away in a drain in Royal Residency Layout, Bannerghatta Road.

Prof. T.G. Sitharam, chairman, CiSTUP, says BBMP needs to address the problem of storm water drains on a priority and advises the new civic council to blacklist contractors who do not perform.

A report by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on maintaining the SWD network in the city could come in very handy, say experts.

Lake development

With many of Bengaluru’s lakes on the verge of extinction as the real estate mafia has its way in the city, more clearly needs to be done to save them.

Environmentalists observe the lakes not only help keep the city cool but also recharge the groundwater, now fast depleting due to over-exploitation.

They lament that many lakes are dying today not only because of the onward march of urbanisation but also because sewage is let into them by industries and homes in the city.

“BBMP must prevent sewage from entering lakes as it not only destroys their aquatic life but also contaminates the groundwater,” says environmentalist Yellappa Reddy, who is clearly unhappy with the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by the civic agency for rejuvenation of lakes. “No qualified consultant was engaged for the project and its technical and financial evaluations were very poor,” he adds.

Transportation

While the city has three times more traffic than it can handle, conditions on its roads are made worse by the work on the Metro Rail, flyovers and underpasses in many parts. Also, over 50 per cent of Bengaluru’s roads are narrow and connect to major roads,which see traffic from all sides spilling on to them a result. Urban planners welcome the emphasis being placed on improving mass public transport, but say that other initiatives which could have helped traffic conditions, never really took off. “Plans for one car for one family, dedicated bus lanes, lane systems for autorickshaws and traffic corridors have remained on paper,” they point out. Urban planner S. Sudhira suggests more should be done to encourage cycling and walking in the city to take the pressure off its roads.