Whitefield woes brim over, residents to take to streets

What started as a campaign by a small group of like-minded people against traffic woes and poor civic amenities in Whitefield and surrounding areas is all set to turn into a major protest - #SaveWhitefield - on Monday.

On November 16, the IT hub witnessed traffic chaos for nearly four hours. This and a bunch of civic issues that have remained unsolved for long have galvanised the group into launching #SaveWhitefield movement. The initiative has now received strong support from more than 3000 people – from working professionals and schoolchildren to autorickshaw and cab drivers, among others.

The protest aims at drawing the City authorities’ attention to the civic and infrastructure woes of Whitefield and the neighbouring areas in East Bengaluru. The protesters will gather at Marathahalli, Graphite India, KTPO, Hoodi, Forum, Nallurahalli and ITPL from 10 am on Monday. Later, they will form a human chain till they reach the main assembly point - ITPL - by 12.30 pm.

#Save Whitefield pamphlets and posters have been put up by volunteers outside shops, apartments and vehicles to draw support for the peaceful protest.

Utkarsh Singh, a resident of Whitefield who initiated the move, told Deccan Herald, “November 16 was a nightmare for commuters as they were stuck for several hours at Whitefield because of rains. No vehicle was moving and even school children struggled without food and water for hours. This was the boiling point and I posted on the social media the need to start a movement. Many welcomed the idea and we fixed six to seven dates for the protest, finally zeroing in on November 30.”

In the past three to four months, the problems of traffic jams and poor civic infrastructure in the locality have aggravated, he said. Echoing similar concern, Zibi Jamaz, a member of Whitefield Rising (WR), a major civic group of the area, said: “Whitefield being one of the most high-density traffic areas in the City lacks good roads, footpaths and basic infrastructure.”

Sudhansu Mohanty, another resident, said that due to potholed roads, he had suffered a slipped disc and was forced to use a four-wheeler now. He said commuters were prone to respiratory problems and backache due to high levels of air pollution and bad roads in the area.

Air pollution
According to Clement Jayakumar, a WR volunteer, while the overall average air pollution in the City is not as bad as it is in Delhi, the smaller particles (PM2.5) in certain areas such as Whitefield, Central Silk Board and Peenya are way higher than that of the national capital.

“This pollutant has a much higher health impact on the residents of Bengaluru, considering the topography and weather conditions in the City,” added Jayakumar, who has compiled a list of 15 steps to improve the air quality that includes conversion of BMTC buses to CNG, prohibition of cement-mixing plants within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits, ban of vehicles 15 years and older, among others.