BENGALURU: Frustrated by potholes, bad stretches and traffic snarls on a daily basis, hundreds of residents of Kasavanahalli (Ward 31) organised a community walk on Friday to highlight the “severe civic collapse” on Haralur Road and surrounding areas.
Residents highlighted that Haralur Road has deteriorated into a state of structural decay. The walk cast a sharp spotlight on a laundry list of failures. The residents carried posters reading ‘Not a protest for Privilege, A walk for Basics’ to highlight the worsening traffic, which has seen schoolchildren stuck in traffic for three hours to cover a 4-km stretch.
The residents also highlighted about garbage collection which they said takes place once in five days due to which many areas have turned into blackspots.
“Even drains are completely choked with raw sewage, creating health hazards and filling the air with foul odours. Broken and missing footpaths, roads without drainage, missing underground drainage, potholes, narrow roads and bottlenecks, etc, have made the life of residents a living hell,” said residents.
They gave a representation to the local MLA urging her to look into the key basic infrastructure that has not been addressed from the last several years.
“We pay high taxes in Bengaluru but continue to face these problems, with too little action from the civic authorities and elected representatives. I am calling for prompt, lasting improvements to roads, drainage, sanitation, pedestrian safety and traffic enforcement,” said Anand Kumar V, a resident of Haralur.
Venkataraman, another resident, said, “Despite being one of the highest tax-paying wards in Bengaluru, the Haralur Road area continues to suffer from severely inadequate civic infrastructure. Residents are forced to contend with poor and damaged roads, unhygienic surroundings, inadequate traffic management, persistent dust and pollution, and generally unacceptable living conditions throughout the year.”
