Tampered meters
As a senior citizen living in the City, I travel frequently in autorickshaws. I find the meters of a good number of old vehicles erratic and tampered with. They show higher rates and vary from one autorickshaw to another. There is a good Rs 15 to Rs 20 difference from one auto to another.

While some of the auto drivers are kind and courteous, many of them are rude and demand extra fare even if they know it is unfair. I hope the RTO will look into the matter and take immediate steps to rectify the problem.

Dr Shrinivas Havanur

Unmotorable road

Coffee Board Layout, situated in Hebbal-Kempapura, under BBMP Byatarayanapura was a BDA approved layout in 1990. The approach road of the layout Anjenaya Swamy Temple Road leading to outer ring road (ORR) on the Nagwara side. The road between Yogesh Nagar and Netaji Nagar on Anjaneyaswamy Temple Road is an open sewerage drain covered with stone slabs making the road motorable to cross over to ORR.

However during the 2004 floods these "Stone Slabs" were washed away making the road unusable for motorists and difficult for pedestrians. Last year end, the authorities concerned, put up a steep steel narrow over bridge above the open sewerage drain, which can be used by pedestrians only, rather of making the road motorable.

Now, more than two and half years have passed and no efforts have been made to make this road motorable. Vehicle owners have to make a detour of more than 2 kms via Mariyanapalya or Bellary Road to reach ORR, which otherwise would have been just about 500 ft to reach ORR via this bridge.

Further, this elevated over bridge, with sewerage passing below, emits unbearable stench, exposing the pedestrians - school children and elderly persons to health hazards. The erstwhile CMC ought to have made the road motorable. Having failed to do so, the BBMP under which it now comes should make this road motorable again and to ease traffic on Bellary Road especially keeping in mind the flow of traffic expected once the International Airport becomes operational.

The authorities concerned should also widen further the existing road from Bellary Road to Coffee Board Layout passing through Kempapura, which is dotted with educational institutions, apartments and commercial establishments.

Hari Kanniah

No civic amenities

The fourth Layout of the HMT Employee's Cooperative House Building Society, also called as KRS Gowda Extension near Nelagadaranahalli and Nagasandra villages is about 25 years old.  The Layout has nearly 2,000 sites. This Layout has been neglected by the BDA and no improvement done compared to new Layouts.

There is also a move to hand over the layout to Dasarahalli City Municipal council. There is no civic facilities like water, adequate bus facility, street lighting, systematic garbage clearance and good roads. There is no police station to prevent thefts and increasing incidents of chain-snatching, no post office, bank branch despite the fact that the residents and vacant site owners are paying the property tax to BDA.

BSSW has laid out pipes in neighbouring villages and in some part of the layout for supply of cauvery water. The amount deposited by the site owners to the society two decades ago ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000 as per the dimension of the site for providing cauvery water has been diverted for purchase of lands for the formation of new Layouts in other areas.

Partially asphalted roads laid a few years ago are now full of pot holes often cause accidents. It is learnt that allocation of budget in the previous years is unutilised because untimely actions by BDA.

Will the concerned officials of BDA take remedial steps and Bangalore incharge Health Minister R Ashok look into problems of the layout.

B Prabhakara Rao

Letters meant for this column, not exceeding 100 words, along with relevant photographs may be sent to the Editor ‘People’s Problems’ Deccan Herald, 75, MG Road, Bangalore - 560001 or by email to editor@deccanherald.co.in with ‘People’s Problems’ written in the subject line.