Mahadevapura residents to hold silent protest today

Hundreds of residents and several schools in Mahadevapura will stage a silent protest at the Marathahalli bridge bus stop on Friday, demanding expeditious completion of pending civic works in the zone.

Among the long pending demands of the zone are speedy completion of the Kundalahalli underpass, curb on illegal borewell digging, dry waste collection centres, suburban rail network and development of Varthur Lake.

“Did you know that the Kundalahalli junction was to get an underpass years ago?” asked a member of the citizen group, Whitefield Rising. “When it finally began, the plan quietly changed to a narrower road, which alert local residents understood. Contracts to lay these roads were given to companies that have a poor track record, while this area — reeling under a massive population increase — has high quality roads,” she added.

The Varthur Lake had a commitment of CSR funds for its development, but, for years, the government did not allow the work to proceed, the member alleged.

Residents said Mahadevapura has population of 25 wards, but has only been allotted eight, which shrunk the fund allocation significantly.

“We could have incredible rail connectivity with slight improvement to the existing rail infrastructure. We could commute from Whitefield to Majestic in 40 minutes, like you would do in Mumbai,” said another member.

They said MLA Aravind Limbavali and other prospective candidates had signed an assurance to address the needs and issues of the eight wards prior to the election. “Not even one of the issues has been acted upon,” a resident said.

‘Leaders must act’

“This isn’t what Mahadevapura voters want. We want our MLA, corporators and MP to act.”

Besides the one-year-old demands, residents are now asking for a separate municipal body — Mahadevapura Municipal Corporation — with accountability.