Every drop of potable water is precious in this constituency

Residents of Doddabida­rakallu ward in Yeshwantpur Assembly constituency have to pay for every drop of potable water they consume. It is only after long queues, unending waits and never-ending tiffs with the neighbours, they manage to take home a can of drinking water.

“I had kept my can first. Someone has put it aside,” “Why are you carrying two cans of water when people are struggling for even one?” Residents could be heard volleying these questions at a lone drinking water supply unit in the area, as Deccan Herald visited the place.

Most residents here walk close to two kilometers just to fetch a can of water. An RO water plant, that has been set up from the MPLAD funds released by Union minister Sadananda Gowda, is the only water source for best part of the ward.

 Ask residents about their problems and they say they have none. Most of them are not aware of their fundamental rights- access to basic civic amenities. Savamma, a resident who was washing clothes in front of her house, complains of a blocked gutter into which she lets the water flow after rinsing the clothes. “We do not have a toilet inside. We are all forced to go out early in the morning and defecate in the open. A few women use the public toilet nearby during the day,” she explains.

 An open site beside the BBMP office in the area turns into an urinal even during day.
The government-run library sees just about four visitors every month. From inadequate lighting and a dripping roof to no supply of daily newspapers, problems are aplenty here.

Typical to the most of the localities in the Palike limits, Herohalli and Ullalu residents complain about the garbage dump and the dog menace. A look at the washrooms in the BBMP school at Herohalli would leave one nauseated. There is no drinking water facility in the school. With no compound wall, the school premises sends an open invitation for trespassers. Besides, the thicket around the premises is a breeding ground for insects.

Residents of Sir M Vishweshwaraiah Layout say that their ward is plagued by many problems. A bar right next to the BMTC bus stop, drunken driving at night, incidents of mugging have all instilled a sense of fear in their minds so much so that no one walks out of their houses post 9 pm.

The double road that connects Kengeri to Magadi Road has become a den for illegal activities, residents complain. “There are no streetlights on this stretch. One side of the road is blocked for BWSSB work, making it an accident prone. Women cannot even walk alone after sunset. Police patrolling is nil,” complains Rakshit, one of the residents.

Frequent sighting of snakes also makes the residents a worried lot. An open drain without a parapet is posing danger to the pedestrians and motorists. “Recently, a car driver almost drove into the drain mistaking it to be a road. Luckily for him, he was saved,” recalls Prabhakar, another resident.

D S Gowda, president of the local residents’ welfare association, came up with a list of issues that have remain unresolved despite bringing them to the notice of the authorities concerned. “From 2009, we have been asking for streetlights. But there is no response. The underground sanitation work is incomplete, leading to clogging in our drainage every other day. Land has been acquired for widening the 80-feet road in Ullalu but the work is yet to begin. Even the BDA approved sites in 2nd Block, Vishweshwaraiah Layout are yet to get water connection,” he says.

Buses to the area do not stop at the designated places, forcing passengers to wait right on the main road. This is an issue that one could see on taking a first look at Kengeri ward. A few who visit the veterinary hospital in the area complain of shortage of drugs.

Sale of cut fruits and boiled corn by the road in Kengeri and Hemmigepura, with a garbage pile right next to it, raises concern of hygiene and health.
Talaghattapura sees at least one accident every day. In most parts of this stretch on Kanakapura Road, there is no footpath, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. In a few places, where there is one, either garages or slaughter houses have their material dumped. Stray cattle wander right in the centre of the roads, posing danger to two-wheeler riders on the Kanakpura main road.  In the localities of Talaghattapura and Vajrahalli, one could get lost since there are no signboards with street names and other details. 

Setting up of a solid waste management unit by the BBMP near Banashankari 6th Stage has made the residents a worried lot. Fearing air pollution and other problems from the plant, they made repeated visits to the BBMP and the KSPCB. But the repeated trips to the civic agencies have failed to yield the desired results.