'Spare us from mozzie menace'

In what could be a classic example on how  improper urban planning of the civic bodies puts residents of revenue layouts of the city under risk, the residents of ward number six of Mysore City Corporation have to live with lack of basic facilities, bear with congested muddy roads, poor UGD system, silt filled storm water drain and poor solid waste management system.

Areas of Besthara block on Sewage Farm road, Kanakagiri, Gunduraonagar, Muneshwaranagar, Bairaveshwaranagar, Dattanagara, Ramaiah colony, Gowrishankarnagar come under this ward. Except for about 400 houses constructed by HUDCO in Besthara block, the rest of the houses in the ward are in ‘revenue’ areas.

The total number of voters is about 13,000 according to sources. The majority of the residents of the ward are working class people engaged in small businesses, construction works and other menial jobs. The presence of urban educated official class is in minuscule.

Just as other elected representatives facing an arduous challenge to improve the revenue pocketed areas, the corporator is striving to improve the ward. Rathnamma Shanthaveerendraswamy, the first time corporator from Congress is representing the ward. She is also health and education standing committee chairman of Mysore City Corporation. Infact, development is a big challenge for the MCC and corporator representing the ward.

Majority of the houses are constructed by the revenue land including ‘Elethota’, which is famous for the supply of betel leaves to Royal Wadiyars of Mysore in the earlier days.  As Mysore is developing rapidly due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, people constructed the houses in revenue land without bothering about basic facilities. Rents are low and land is available aplenty.

As residents of the ward constructed the houses very close of ‘Elethota’, the passage of two big storm water drains on Nanjangud road  and another at Kanakagiri attributed the mosquito menace. Infact, the civic bodies and elected representatives are facing the wrath  of public for not finding permanent solution for this. The residents of the ward don’t open the door in the evening fearing mosquitoes bite which will result in hazardous health disorder.

The majority of the residents complained about the apathy of MCC officials for not removing silt from the two big storm water drain which are the breeding centre of mosquitoes. Every family here has atleast one member affected by mosquito borne diseases. People have never heard of ‘fogging’ to save their lives. 

Though about more than 50 families have constructed houses where the high tension wire passes in Kanakagiri, the authorities concerned never worried to find solution despite these families putting their lives at risk.

Lakshmamma of Bairaveshwaranagar and other residents are living under constant fear of entry of overflowing sewage water from storm water drains during rainy season.
As their houses are constructed in low lying areas, the sewage water that overflows from a storm water drain  makes the residents’ lives miserable. They alleged the failure of MCC and negligence of elected representatives for not solving this perennial problem in low lying areas.

The people do not have much complaints about the drinking water supply as authorities made arrangements for the supply of both Cauvery  and borewell water.

Monkey menace forces the homemakers to curse the elected representatives endlessly without any check to provide respite from the problem. Adding to these, the poor solid waste management haunts the residents. Mahadev of the ward complained about poor bus facility as KSRTC never put permanent buses to Gunduraonagar. People have to depend on  tempos, maxicab, rural KSRTC city buses for transportation facility. 

No space has been earmarked for a park in the area, no one has yet complained about this to their corporator!

Speaking to City Herald Rathnamma said that she has given importance to road works, regular supply of water,  helping some residents get widow pension, disabled pension and avail other social security schemes launched by the state government.