The Times of India 13.08.2010
Where’s my corporator?
BANGALORE: Narrow roads, shoddy work, irregular parking, garbage… these are just a few characteristics of Srinagar, a chaotic hub with many civic complaints.
You don’t have to go deep into the area to find more. It’s all there, visible right at the junctions. Even collected garbage gets piled up everywhere, and remains untouched. Worse, there’s little space to walk on footpaths. While the main roads are narrow and two-way, the crossroads are completely blocked by parked vehicles.
A classic example is a corner house belonging to P N Bhat. It’s located at a junction on 22nd Main Road in Banashankari II Stage. The unhygienic conditions are clearly visible through the window in his living room. At 61, Bhat’s BP shoots up when he is in the living room or stepping outdoors for a quick walk. “Is this a place to lead a retired life?” he asks, pointing to the heaps of garbage piled up on a vacant site opposite his house.
At 9 am, the dumping begins at this site which has no boundary wall. By noon, there’s a stinking heap. Worse, vehicles and vendors start parking around, making it impossible for pourakarmikas to remove the garbage. His complaint no. 33/775, lodged at the BBMP control room about garbage menace, remains unattended for two weeks now.
There’s more. The road adjoining his compound wall ends in a sudden unfinished structure at the cross road — it is the remains of an unfinished building that had come up illegally on the road! People say the construction was under litigation and BBMP eventually won the case. But nothing happened thereafter. For two years, it remained a dangerous hump which no vehicle can cross.
A little further, an abandoned BWSSB pipeline turned into a deep pit with mosquitoes breeding in the stagnant water. “Immediately after winning the election, the corporator visited the area. We even put these issues to him. But nothing happened. That was his first and last visit,” complains the unhappy voter.
OTHER ISSUES
Choked with traffic and dotted with darshinis and educational institutions on either side, the narrow roads in this area have no proper footpaths. They are either missing or have loose tiles. A transformer was shifted to a single pole over a year ago, but even now, its huge concrete base stands on the footpath, leaving no space for pedestrians. The area is now a stinking urinal.
CONTACT HIM
But the residents’ big worry is, `How do we get the corporator?’ He’s been inaccessible for a long time now. Immediately after winning elections, two huge posters of him were put on display at the Bank Colony junction. They are still around, with his contact number printed in bold. “But what’s the use? We have been unable to get him. Each time we call, it’s either busy or out of reach,” laments Rukhmini K J, another resident here.
PROBLEM AREAS
* Public works unfinished
* No proper parking space
* Encroached footpaths
* Chaotic traffic on narrow roads
* No public toilets
PEOPLE’S FURY
We really don’t know who this corporator is. All we know is he won by 88 votes. He’s visited us only once and that was a fleeting one. He did not even hear what we had to say. Even BBMP’s health department is useless here.
P N Bhat | resident
The 22nd Main Road was tarred immediately after he won. But today, it’s already worn out. There are patches and potholes everywhere. Even this tree root that obstructs the road remains untouched. BBMP says it’s not their job, but the forest department’s. What lethargy is this? Can the corporator really play any role?
M Shankargowda | shopowner
We have a car but can’t park it anywhere. The roads around are jampacked with vehicles.
Rajeshwari Bhat | housewife
Q&A with corporator:
What are the problem areas in your ward?
Water issues. The main problem is the sanitary line. We have already started work in some places.
Works begin, but is there any monitoring over their progress? There are some works which are going on for a long time.
Yes! I am on my rounds across my ward every day, for at least three hours, between 8-11 am. We attend to issues on the spot. I have also given my contact numbers to all the residents.
What’s your plan ahead?
Sanitary line and road asphalt works are my top priority. One lake here has to be developed. There’s no health centre or ward office here. I am waiting for the budget.
CONTACT YOUR CORPORATOR
Are you a resident? Have a problem in your area? Get in touch with your corporator on 9945500408 (as listed on BBMP website).
