BANGALORE: There is no dearth of action on New BEL Road even in the middle of the day.
Just a kilometer away from Sanjay Nagar, a residential area in north Bangalore, New BEL Road has everything you could ask for — big outlets, eating joints, and not to forget, the famous MS Ramaiah Hospital and College.
“I’ve been selling coconuts outside this hospital for more than 10 years,” says a stall owner, Girish. “College students also come but not much. Coconut water is very good for people with health problems, so my clients mainly include the patients,” he tries to reason out.
The United Colours of Benetton, Fabindia, Liliput and innumerable other brands — you name it, and it’s here. Places where you can tease your tastebuds include the famous Nandhini Deluxe (though the service may not be as good as the food), Beijing Bites (which has just opened), Pizza Hut and many more. The list is quite long.
Nearby is the posh Dollars Colony, where our CM BS Yeddyurappa has a house. “He rarely comes here as mostly he is at his official residence. This house was built much before he became the chief minister,” Mohan Kumar, the policeman on duty informs us.
“There’s zero crime rate in this area,” another official swells with pride. “That’s because a lot of MPs and MLAs stay in Dollars Colony,” he explains.
Walk further down that lane (not towards MS Ramaiah Hospital), and you’ll enter Sanjay Nagar. We decided to check out the crime rate here (after all, there are hardly any VIPs here) and headed for the police station. “From 500-600 cases in 2005, there were only 200 cases filed last year,” says Ananthu of Sanjay Nagar Police Station.
“Things have really improved over the last few years. Not just that, I like this area because there’s a lot of greenery.
Also, it’s well connnected to MS Ramiah Engineering College and Hospital, the Indian Institute of Science and Ramanamharishi Cultural Center. Here you’ll find all kinds of people,” says Sameer Malhotra, a resident of Sanjay Nagar for more than eight years.
After a through round of the area, it was time for us to leave. R Ramesh, an autorickshaw driver, who has been driving in Sanjay Nagar for years, calls it a ‘decent’ area. Do we need say more?