BENGALURU: Do civic protests help, like taking to the streets or #hashtag protests? Most of the time, authorities are unmoved, say angry residents. The residents of Horamavu, who had carried out multiple protests, said, “We have been asking for roads and only a little is done. The Babusapalya Road is pathetic. Despite complaints and protests, nothing changed,” said Anupriya, a resident.
Panatur residents have also protested demanding infrastructure for long but authorities have not acted till date. “The roads are in a bad shape. Protests and requests, nothing really helps,” said Rahul T, resident of Panatur.
Recently the residents of Mahadevpura hit the streets demanding that the elected representatives resign as the infrastructure is virtually non-existent in Mahadevapura. Their requests seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
“We are seeing perceptible changes in listening to issues, and flagging off of works. Ward Committee meetings are also being held. The citizens have woken up and are demanding performance from their elected representatives. That is why we are seeing more protests. The next step is to ensure the work is completed. We will not rest with just empty inspections and meetings and photo ops,” said a member of Whitefield Rising
On Saturday, over 5,000 residents from Somasundrapalya, Mangamanapalya, Kudlu,HSR Layout, Silver Country Road and Haraluru gathered at the Birla Circle in HSR Layout to protest against the lack of basic civic infrastructure, traffic congestion and bad state of footpaths and termed the protest “FIGHT4RIGHT”- Citizens march against civic apathy.
Ramakrishna Reddy, president, Harluru Somasundarpalya Residents Association, said, “The elected representatives and officials have failed us. If they had taken proactive steps to address our concerns, we would not have been on the streets along with our children to raise our voices and demand our RIGHT for a better locality and better living conditions.”
Indiranagar residents fight against illegal construction
Residents of Indiranagar are fighting against the construction of a 42,000 sqft, five-storeyed building that is coming up near CMH Road. Residents held a meeting with BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar on Saturday. Swarna Venkataraman, RWA member, said BBMP had issued a notice as there was a violation of the sanction plan. “The building owner then approached CAT tribunal and received a stay order on the BBMP’s notice. They then continued to construct the building,” Swarna said. The builder has also filed a case against a BBMP engineer for harassment. Kumar told TNSE that he assured the residents that BBMP will file an application at the court requesting the advancement of the hearing date and also asking to vacate the stay.