Major highways have brought little progress to this suburb

As the election heat picks up, Nelamangala, the gateway to the city from the north, faces several civic woes.

A semi-urban constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes under the Bengaluru Rural district, it is beset with rapid growth, water scarcity, encroachment of a rajakaluve and drains, poor state of major and residential roads and total neglect of lakes.

With two important national highways — Bengaluru-Mangaluru and Bengaluru-Pune — passing through Nelamangala, the real estate value here is high, leading to encroachments, say residents.

“Parts of the Nelamangala Lake have been encroached upon by builders, but authorities and local politicians are silent on the issues,” said Venkatesh Murthy, a resident of Sheshu Nagar.

“A builder in Jyothinagar has constructed an apartment complex on the rajakaluve, due to which water enters our houses when it rains,” he said.

The burgeoning suburb with 291 villages and 1,71,372 voters is notorious for gang wars, with a few well-known history-sheeters from Betanagere village leading the pack. The constituency has seen several political murders, the last being that of BEML Krishnappa, a local JD(S) leader.

The constituency is represented by JD(S) MLA Dr K Srinivasamurthy.

“There have been no problems here after I became MLA. This constituency has developed, hence I am confident of winning this election too,” Srinivasamurthy said, beaming with confidence as he waved to his electorate on the way.

Former BBMP mayor R Narayanaswamy, a Congress nominee here, says the constituency has several issues.

“Nelamangala faces many civic problems. There are no parks and the roads have not been improved. Residents complain that there is water scarcity.”

The BJP has fielded former MLA M V Nagaraju, who lost to Srinivasamurthy in 2013.

“When I was an MLA from 2008-2013, aid of Rs 850 crore was granted and I took up many developmental works. But the present MLA has not taken up any major development works,” Nagaraju said. “Nelamangala has been neglected by the government repeatedly and political parties have no plans to develop it,” said Channappa Gowda, a resident of Jyothinagar.