Water shortage tops civic woes list

Water shortage tops civic woes list-Bangalore-Cities-The Times of India

KAMALANAGAR: As part of his reaching-out-to-the-public programme, Rajajinagar MLA Narendra Babu on Tuesday met residents of Kamalanagar ward, heard their grievances and promised immediate action.

The meeting at the ward office here was well attended with over 300 to 350 people voicing civic problems that were deftly handled and answered by Babu, along with assurances of quick action. He had with him a battery of officials from BBMP, BMTC, Bescom, traffic, law and order and social welfare departments.

Residents of Kamalanagar, Kamakshipalya, NGO Colony, Anjapura and surrounding areas listed out their grievances. They complained of bad roads, sanitation problems, clogged drains, shortage of drinking water, water-logging, no garbage clearance, lack of ration cards, lack of proper playgrounds and harassment of women. The most common complaint was regarding regular water supply. Rajamma, a resident, said: "There is water supply only in the dead of the night. Do we sleep or collect water? How do we go to work the next day?"

Rajanna echoed her observation: "Water comes only on alternate days. Even when it comes, it is only for an hour or two. Even if we get continuous supply for a fixed period of time, it will be a great relief."

Lakshmi narrated problems regarding garbage and silt. "Sometimes, silt is cleared from the drain and put in front of houses and for days together it is not cleared. It stinks. Mosquitoes gather and make life miserable. Garbage collects for days and there's no one to clear that either."

Babu announced that along with regular water supply, clearance of garbage and drainage silt will get top priority. "There is a 10-member team on work right now. I will deploy additional teams for the clearing work," he told residents.

Many residents complained that they had not been issued ration cards though they were very poor. "I live with two children, pay rent and have a family member who is handicapped. How can we make a living in Bangalore?" one asked. Another chipped in: "Government servants get BPL cards, while we don't. We can't afford to buy rice in the open market. They don't give us rice at the ration shops." Yet another resident complained: "There are weavers in the area who are very poor. They've been here for years but haven't been issued BPL or APL cards."