Drugs, waste management major concerns: East Bengaluru residents

The ‘Government at your doorstep’ grievance redressal meeting was held in RBANMS High School Grounds on St John’s Road on Saturday.

Bengaluru: Drug consumption, unscientific waste management, and illegal constructions were just some of the concerns that were raised by the residents of Pulakeshinagar, Shivajinagar and Hebbal during the ‘Government at your doorstep’ grievance redressal meeting held in RBANMS High School Grounds on St John’s Road on Saturday. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar attended the meeting and heard the grievances.

DH interacted with a host of people who said there were persisting law and order issues in East Bengaluru, especially around the areas such as Pulakeshinagar, Shivajinagar, Richard town, Coles Park have risen significantly and urged immediate action from the government and the intervention of the police.

Habiba Subhan, a resident of Pulakeshinagar expressed disappointment about the condition of Coles Park and said: “Though government sanctioned funds to develop the Coles park in 2019, the work has been limited only to the marginal part of the park and public toilets. The infrastructure in Frazer Town is pathetic and has made it hard for the residents; though issues have been discussed with concerned nodal officers the problems remained unattended.”

Nikhat Aman from the same vicinity says the reconstruction of Mosque Road over bridge has grown into a headache for them as the “unused” underpass has turned into an “adda” for the drug consumers and other illegal activities.

A resident of RT Nagar Vidya Goggi said that there is a need for better bus connectivity from RT Nagar which has been a major problem in the area. She also underscored that many CCTV cameras in the vicinity were dysfunctional for years and no action has been taken. The other concerns raised included water problems and bribes for issuing trade licenses. A shopkeeper on Jeweller’s street, Syed Ahmed noted that he opens his shop every day in fear as he regularly gets harassed by goons in the area. He claimed that the police always refused to help him.

At least five people claimed that after they bought a site in a public auction, they never got a sale deed from BDA.

Govt to amend property tax payment rules

The government may extend the deadline to pay property tax in Bengaluru and bring in changes to the payment system Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said. Speaking after receiving a few applications on the third day of the ‘Government at your doorstep’— public grievance redressal meeting held at Hebbal Shivakumar said that there were many applications regarding problems in paying the property tax. “Many of them who submitted their application today have constructed commercial establishments in residential plots. They now say that their property tax has gone up and they need more time to pay up. We will see what we can do and also come up with changes to the system to help the citizens. The citizens should also cooperate with us by paying tax proportionate to their property value” he said.

Innocent should not be punished: DKS

DKS who received a petition requesting the release of those arrested in the DJ Halli and KJ Halli riots case said that he will consult the legal experts on the matter. “We cannot do anything against the law. The BJP government has booked them under a few major criminal sections and hence they are not able to come out of jail. We are not against punishing those who went against the law. However there are a few innocent people who are caught in this. I will discuss the matter with my officials and experts to see what best we can do within the legal framework” he said.

Three web portals launched 

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar launched three web portals – ‘Hasiru Rakshaka’ ‘Udyana Mitra’ and ‘Kere Mitra’ that will help the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) conserve the environment. While Hasiru Rakshaka will help school students adopt a plant and care for it the other two portals will help citizens participate in the maintenance of lakes and parks in the city. In 2023-24 BBMP facilitated the planting of close to one lakh saplings in association with 224 schools with 52015 students. If the students nourish their saplings for at least three years they will receive a Hasiru Rakshaka certificate.