Outlying wards no better than villages

Nimakallakunte and Ganganamidde wards are just on the outskirts of the city and were brought within the limits of the Chikkaballapur City Municipal Council a few years back.

The condition of the wards, however, is not much different from that of typical villages.

Most residents in both wards are from BPL families, including daily wage coolie workers. There are no residents in influential posts and the officials and representatives of the residents in the wards have ignored the area, thereby preventing the wards from developing in any way.

Difficult life
The wards, which are like slums, are filled with little houses lacking separate toilets and even bedrooms.

Although big enough for just about two people to live in, each of such houses has atleast eight residents. Also as many as about three families stay together.

After demanding, requesting and even pleading to be given basic facilities, the residents of the wards have decided to quietly accept whatever they have and live on in the area.

Road to trouble

Coming out of such houses, onto the roads, one finds only a worse sight to behold. Garbage dumps rise high on both sides of the roads.

The dustbins placed on the roads are not used by the people. Instead, waste has filled up the drains, preventing smooth flow of the sewerage.

The roads are covered by mud, due to lack of asphaltation. Parthenium plants have grown all over empty plots as well as around houses, much to the dismay of the residents and their fear of spread of diseases.

There are no major social work organisations in the ward area. The only social centre is the Anjaneyaswamy Temple.

People want space or facilities alternate to the graveyard as there is no more space to bury bodies in the graveyard allocated to the wards. Also, there is no proper road to reach the graveyard, adding to the their woes, said the residents.

‘Not bothered’

“The area has been provided no facilities despite being within City Municipal Council limits. There are no toilets built for the houses in the wards and poverty has prevented the residents from themselves building toilets,” the residents explained.

“The administrative authorities and the representatives have not lived upto expectations.
“Most of us have no time to wait at their doorstep begging for facilities as we work as labourers from dawn to dusk. Now, we have stopped bothering about such things,” they added with disdain.

‘Need govt help for development

City Municipal Council member for the third time, C M Perikal Muniyappa, represents Nimakallakunte and Ganganamidde wards.

Having been a social activist before joining politics, Muniyappa said he has had borewells dug in two places in the wards in order to alleviate the water problem that has haunted the area for long.

There is also a plan to dig another borewell in Ganganamidde, Muniyappa added.

“About Rs 30 lakh has been spent for asphalting of the roads and digging borewells in the wards. Further development works will be undertaken using funds provided in the next budget,” he explained, speaking to the Deccan Herald.

Speaking about the graveyard, he said cooperation and help from the Government is essential to keep the place clean.

Muniyappa claimed that he visits the wards daily and interacts with the people there in order to learn of their problems and also to get suggestions from them for development of the wards.