JOIN USTank promised as water woes flood grievance meet
The problems faced by the residents of the Hebbal Assembly constituency are no different from any other area in Bengaluru.
A litter-free surrounding, glowing streetlights at night, good pavements and roads, enough water supply, and de-silting of sewage lines at regular intervals are some of the basic demands of the residents.
On Saturday, Deccan Herald and its sister publication Pra javani offered an opportunity to bring the aggrieved residents and the officials together for instant redress of grievances. The programme was a big success as the officials could learn about the severity of certain problems faced by the residents and assured them redress within a stipulated timeline.
The Hebbal constituency, a locality where powerful and influential people reside, has its share of water crisis. The event witnessed some angry moments when the residents, especially those residing around Sanjaynagar and Bhoopasandra, said they were not getting water and the BWSSB engineers rarely answered their phone calls.
Replying to the complaint, MLA R Jagadeesh Kumar admitted that the water crisis was severe, but the root cause, he said, was not just inadequate supply of water, but the greed of the people for more water. “I know most of you use motor pumps to draw more water from the supply pipe. This is illegal,” said Kumar.
A resident complained that many overhead tanks in and around Sanjaynagar were empty for the last many years, but no efforts were made to fill them. Kumar said a huge water tank of the size of a reservoir would come up in Survey Nos 20 and 21 of Bhoopasandra.
“The problems in ward numbers 18 and 19 are severe. Presently, water is coming from the High Grounds area. If we have a ground-level reservoir in these areas, we can meet the water requirement. We cannot assure you adequate water, but through staggered supply, we may be able to meet the demand,” he said.
Children air grievances
When S Somanath, a resident, complained about the noise and dust emanating from the playground near his house, children present at the programme said the elders had barred them from playing in the area.
Three boys - Adithya Deepak, Yathiraj Raman and Anurag Ravi - complained that the only playground was the BBMP Friends ground at Amarjyothi Layout in Sanjaynagar, where the Janaspandana took place. They said there was a systematic attempt to convert the playground into a park by creating a walking track around it. “If you allow the walking track, then children will not be able to play in the field. We need playground,” said Adithya.
The boy complained that the playground had become a hub of illegal activities at night. To substantiate his claim, he and his friends brought empty liquor bottles found in the playground. The sub-inspector of the jurisdictional police station assured them that he would intensify patrolling to prevent anti-social activities in the area.
The MLA urged the residents to allow children to play in the playground.Residents of Guru Nivas and Whispering Meadows complained of garbage problem and overflowing manholes in the area due to choked sewage lines. The officials agreed to address the problem.
Some residents of Sanjaynagar said they had worked out a solution to the garbage problem, which could even fetch the BBMP Rs one crore in revenue, but the officers and the elected representatives were not keen on their initiative. The legislator appreciated their work and asked them to show him their project.
Contact details
Important numbers of government officials from Sanjaynagar ward and Radhakrishna Temple ward
MLA, Hebbal, R Jagadeesh Kumar 9844260906
Councillor, Radhakrishna Temple ward, 9243446179
D Venkatesh
Councillor, Sanjaynagar ward, 9480454138
N M Krishnamurthy
BWSSB Assistant Executive Engineer 9845444025
Rajashekharappa
BBMP Senior Health Inspector, 9480684233
VIshnu Rao
Water Inspector, Vishwanath Singh 8123713986
BBMP Assistant Engineer, Harish Kumar 9686682555
harishdasappa456@gmail.com
Police Subinspector Narasimaiah 9448616334
BMTC Depot Manager , Sathish 7760991410
BESCOM Executive Engineer, Thathaiah 9449844608
eerajajinagar@gmail.com
Block Education Officer,
Basavarajegowda 9448999448
BBMP Deputy Commissioner, East zone 9480684080
Lakshmidevi
BBMP Revenue Officer, Ramakrishna 9980198908
BSNL Officer, Somashekhar 9449077112
BWSSB Executive Engineer, 9845444013
Puttamallappa
A few posers to R Jagadeesh Kumar, MLA, Hebbal
How was the Janaspandana programme?
It was a good experience. It offered a platform to the residents to present their problems before all the officials. It helps resolve grievances speedily.
What is the major problem your constituency faces today?
I think garbage, water crisis, bus services, sewage system seem to be the major
problems. We also face the challenge of lack of civic amenity (CA) sites.
Many residents complained about the lack of CA sites. Your plans to recover them.I have asked the BDA to provide the list of CA sites, but they don't have the records. It could be deliberate or carelessness. Whatever be the case, I am going to recover all the land within three months. We need CA sites for public purposes. Recently, we recovered a huge tract of government land in Bhoopasandra where we will build a reservoir.
We have grants of Rs two crore for the development of the ward for this financial year. Using that, we will take up drainage improvement works and other infrastructure projects. There are a total of 15 parks in the ward, but some of them are not up to the mark due to shortage of funds."
D Venkatesh, corporator,
Radhakrishna Temple ward
Garbage is being dumped near Whispering Meadows Apartment, on 1st Main Road, Dollars Colony. The BBMP has not taken action to clear it for so many days. Another problem bothering us is the shortage of BMTC buses to Nagashettyhalli,”
Mahadevi Jatti, resident, Dollars Colony
Water shortage is a perennial problem faced by the residents of Sanjaynagar and Radhakrishna Temple ward. The water supply is irregular, due to which we are forced to depend on private tankers, for which exorbitant rates are charged.
S P Nayak, senior citizen, Sanjaynagar
The streetlights are not functioning at Gowdru Colony, 2nd Main, 1st Cross. I request the authorities concerned to look into this and take steps to construct a drainage with slabs, as there is no proper system,”
Kempegowda, resident, Gowdru Colony