Illegalities are the norm here

Power lines don't conform to rules; buildings are constructed on occupied land

Right beneath a high tension wire, toddlers sing rhymes with their teacher at Hosakerehalli ward under Padmanabhanagar Assembly constituency. They are unaware that the school’s position is not in conformity with the law and their lives may be at risk if any untoward incident takes place.

If the nursery school under the high tension wire outrages anyone, there are many multi-storey independent houses in and around Hosakerehalli ward with their roof barely five feet away from a HT line. These dangerous spots are easily accessible to anyone, including children. Apparently, the struggle for a roof and survival is even more higher than the high tension wire.

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited Director (Transmission) S Sumanth affirms that no construction should happen beneath the high tension wire. But in Hosakerehalli, there is hardly any place beneath the HT line where residential and commercial structures have not come up.

Padmanabhanagar Assembly constituency, represented by the former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka in the legislative assembly, comprises of seven BBMP wards, namely Padmanabhanagar, Chikkallasandra, Hosakerehalli, Banashankari, Karisandra, Yediyur and Ganesh Mandir. If the constituency has some posh localities, there are areas where poverty, inequality and illegalities lurk.

Hosakerehalli ward, for instance, has revenue pockets with growth so haphazard that the craving for roofs has shrunk Hosakere, the lake after which the village and now the ward got its name. But the urban poor alone are not the encroachers of public property here. There are high-level government officials, alleged to have connived with the real estate mafia and sold hundreds of acres of land to world-renowned builders.

In Hosakerehalli, the lake has become a convenient spot to dispose of waste. K Mahesh, a resident said, “Every morning, huge quantities of garbage collected from the houses is dumped into the lake and its Rajakaluve (feeder canal), which raises an unbearable stink.”

Across the constituency, garbage is quite a big menace. In Chikka Kallasandra ward, residents complain that vacant site have become filthy in the absence of poor garbage collection. M R Nagaraj, a ward resident, complained that many vacant sites have turned into safe havens for poisonous snakes and insects. This ward has many illegal multi-storey buildings defying the sanctioned building plans. One of the residents, requesting anonymity, said there are many buildings on which notices have been served for the violations, but the BBMP never pursued the cases.

The ward is known for disappeared lakes such as Chikka Kallasandra Lake and Ittamadu Lake. In their place, temples, houses, schools, bus stands and other structures have come up. Wide stormwater drains have been reduced to narrow drains carrying only sewage. They have been covered with slabs and mouldings where either buildings have come up or the space is used for parking vehicles. During rains, the highly contaminated water spills over and gushes into houses or basements of the apartments. “We don't have a choice but to live for some days with the stink when sewage floods the basement of apartments,” said Nagaraj.

Kumaraswamy Layout is comparatively a clean area. Presently, BWSSB is replacing old pipelines with the ductile aluminum pipes and, accordingly, new water connection is being given to every household. As a result, roads have been dug up making them non-motorable.

People have big problems with garbage disposal. N H Puttalingaiah, a retired Bescom executive engineer, said, “The pourakarmikas had stopped collecting garbage for some time. When checked, they said they can't work without wages.”

The Banashankari BDA layout, spread across Ganesh Mandir and Banashankari wards, retains Bengaluru's old status of Pensioners' Paradise. Wide roads, well maintained gardens, a BDA complex that people like to take a stroll in the evening make it one of the posh areas. Garbage collection is not a problem here.

Yaarabnagar and Kadirenahalli in Banashankari ward and Kavery Nagar in Karisandra ward stink badly. Yaarab Nagar and Kavery Nagar, both revenue pockets dominated by minority communities, has serious issues with garbage disposal. A visit there gives an impression that the civic agencies, mainly BBMP, have forgotten that these areas are part of Bengaluru.

Imran Sharif of Yaarab Nagar rued, “Nothing has changed here. It was a dirty locality which continues to be the same. Mohammed Ali (aka Diwana Ali, the former corporator) did some development works here but after his death, things turned worse once again.”

In Yaarab Nagar and Kaveri Nagar of Karisandra ward, poverty stares in the face. The struggle for two square meals is quite evident here. These are the pockets where anti-social elements thrive so much so that a land in Kaveri Nagar, reserved for many decades for a school and college, has turned into an automobile repair shop and the officialdom has no courage to reclaim it. Yet, more than anti-social elements, it is the mosquitoes that scare the residents in these slums.

“Dengue and malaria is quite common here. Many people were admitted here. It is a breeding place for mosquitoes due to poor hygienic condition,” said Guru Siddaiah.
Of all the wards, Yediyur shows the way how to develop a ward. The development in this ward in the last five years is exemplary. A beautiful lake, well-maintained gardens, gymnasium, proper water supply, playgrounds and good shops are proof enough.