If you thought issues of inadequate civic amenities were exclusive to areas within the City limits, it’s time for a reality check. In the City’s fringes, the struggle for basic infrastructure is almost a way of life. A visit to Amrutha Nagara will make you familiar with the reality.
The area falls under the Bytarayanapura BBMP Zone and its residents face a plethora of problems in their everyday life. Amrutha Nagara for the last12 years struggling for basic facilities. Over 800 houses in this locality are deprived of tar roads. Most of the main roads and internal roads are muddy, some of them dotted with craters, making it a miserable experience for motorists and pedestrians.
Inadequate street lighting is another problem here. They allege that street lights have been fixed on certain locations on a priority basis to satisfy some “influential” residents, at the expense of the majority.
Disposal of garbage on a BDA site, adjacent to Shree Sharada Vidyalaya, has outraged the residents.
“This vacant property is also utilised to park lorries and trucks which ferry this filth. Can’t the BBMP find an alternative location in stead of re-depositing the junk in the same area?” asks D C Jayashankar, General Secretary of Amrutha Nagara Welfare Association. An improper drainage system adds to the residents’ woes. Sewage water from some apartments and houses is diverted into Amrutha Halli Lake, disturbing the lake’s ecology and acting as a breeding ground for diseases.
A number of complaints have been made in this connection, but the officials concerned have not responded.“There is only one BMTC bus that frequents between Amrutha Nagara and Majestic, five to six times a day between 9 am and 6 pm. Even people from nearby locations use this bus. It’s disgusting to put up with long queues and wait for the bus everyday,” says S N Ashwath Narayan, another resident.

OFFICIALSPEAK
“Rs 2.2 crore has been sanctioned to carry out road works in Amrutha Nagara and surrounding areas and Rs 52 lakh has been granted to fix street lights and carry out their repair works in the Bytarayanapura Division, that includes Amrutha Nagara.”
 H K Krishnamurthy, AEE, BBMP
Bytarayanapura Sub-division

“BMTC decides on the frequency of buses in a particular area, depending on the passenger needs. If the residents of Amrutha Nagara feel that they require more buses in their locality, they can submit a requisition to BMTC based on which a survey will be conducted by our department and steps will be taken, within eight to 15 days.”
Jagadish, Assistant Traffic Manager, BMTC