The logo of the upcoming Bus Priority Lane project of BMTCThe route map of the Bus Priority Lane project from Byappanahalli to Central Silk Board
On November 1, Bellanduru Jothege, a citizen action group is organising a meet-up between the public and the officials of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). This is the most apt day because on this very day, the Bus Priority Lane (BPL) project will also begin from Byappanahalli and Central Silk Board. What this means is that the left side of Outer Ring Road will now only be meant for ambulances and BMTC buses. This is to almost halve the travel time between these destinations. They are introducing 45 buses specifically on this route towards this objective.
At the citizen meet earlier, several Bangaloreans were happy with this out-of-the-box thinking. While some suggested the central lane of ORR for the bus lanes as those were future-marked for the Bus Rapid Transit System. However, since BRTS is not yet on the government’s radar and it requires much planning and funds, the left lanes were chosen to kickstart the project. Already, trials were conducted on ORR near Marathahalli. If this is successful, the plan will be replicated and further improvised on 11 other busy roads.
To discuss this and several other initiatives, residents of Bellandur, HSR Layout, Sarjapur Road, Kasavanahalli, Somasundrapalya, Hosapalya, Kudlu and surroundings areas can show up on November 1 at the BMTC depot off 19th Main in Sector 4, HSR Layout.
Titled “BMTCConnect @ BMTC Depo” in HSR, the idea is also to better understand the BMTC operations, offer suggestions for improvement, and also give away awards and gifts to the best drivers (that the manager chooses). As Bellandur Jothige spokesperson says, “The idea is more of a gesture from our side to show how much we care and like to support them, especially in the wake of BMTC’s new initiatives around BPL and Nimbus.”
Mark your calender. It’s November 1 at 10am at HSR Layout’s BMTC Depot, opposite Agara Lake, off 19th Main.
237/A , 23rd Cross, 17th A Main, Sector 3, HSR LayoutThis is the third time, house 237/A is flooded this monthMLA Sathish Reddy (and HSR Federation chairman HE Chandrashekar (extreme right)
HSR Layout’s low-lying areas in Sector 2 and 3 were flooded due to last night’s heavy rains. All the food delivery services stopped accepting orders after 8pm due to the rains, affecting several residents who were dependent on outside food. Stepping out was particularly a problem for the residents in certain areas of Sector 2 and 3 as water was knee-deep. What’s worse was that the rainwater entered the homes of many in Sector 3 due to this unplanned development by the BBMP that has not desilted the drains for over a decade. The BBMP officials are only raising the heights of drains, but not desilting, which is an object lack of foresight.
Civic officials and MLA did rush to the place last night to ascertain the situation, and again this morning. The desilting work is to begin immediately in Sector 2 and 3. The water from the Somasundrapalya Lake in Sector 2 will no longer be diverted to Sector 2 and 3, as the lake is rejuvenated now, and the water will stay within the water body, avoiding the flooding issues caused last night.
The residents do not believe in these adhoc measures and false promises. Says Bala Padur: “BBMP started the stormwater drain cleaning work yesterday near Gandhi statue on HSR Club road yesterday. Today, nobody came and no work. If it rains, the same sewage problem will persist.”
The residents have a reason to be upset with the officials and elected representatives as repeated complaints have not resulted in a permanent solution to the flooding problem in low-lying areas of Sector 3. “Is BBMP getting our sumps cleaned as we can’t spend Rs 5000 a month everytime it rains,” says Hitu. Or do we stop paying property tax… no lights, no roads, no water, flooding inside houses…. or do we shift to higher areas like ITI Layout, Hosapalya and Somasundrapalya?”
When water entered some houses in Sector 3, elderly citizens were seen trying to remove the water. Says Prahalada TN: “Whenever we ask for help, the BBMP engineers says they have no money. People in power indulge in blame war and citizens suffer. Everybody visits, pays lip sympathy, and gives empty assurances… this is happening for the last ten years! But the situation is aggravating with every rain. It is hell near 17th A Main, 17th B Main and surrounding areas. Until the BBMP clears silt from the drains, the problem will not be resolved. On 15th Main that leads to Mangammanapalya, even a shower of five minutes leads to collection of drainage water on the road.”
‘REVERSE THE WATER FLOW’ Sector 3 resident Ritanshi says 17th A Main was flooded last night within 10 minutes: “Desilting is not going to solve the problem,” she says. “We have to change the direction of the flowing water. Five feet water has entered into the lane and houses. If it rains all night, is the BBMP going to bear the loss of life and property?” Similarly, 17th Main, 22nd A Cross, 18th Main, 18th C Main, 23rd Cross, 16th A Main, and 22nd Cross were all flooded as well. “Water is flowing like a river on 23rd Cross, 16th A Main and entering our houses,” said Aruna. “Repeatedly, we are telling the BWSSB to clean the manholes, but no action. All the manholes are overflowing. Dirty sewage water is entering the sump. We can’t sleep in this situation.”
Desilting and diversion of lake water from Somasundrapalya are the main reasons. Says GN Gopala Mayya: “Most of the shoulder drains (service road of 19th Main) to main drain below the high tension lines are choked or blocked by slum dwellers. A simple maintenance of shoulder drains will go a long way in avoiding flooding of service road.”
Fifty-nine-year-old Nirmala, a resident of Sector 2, has alleged that when her husband Satyameshan retired in 2015, her son Nitin and his wife Keerti took the lumpsum retirement money and promised to look after them. However, the couple allegedly spent all the money and didn’t keep up their promise.
With a monthly pension of Rs 30,000, the couple is not able to pay for the house rent and the medical expenses. When Nirmala asked her son to give their money back or help them in their hour of need, he allegedly pushed her, mouthed expletives and threatened her with life.
Taking cognisance of his actions, Nirmala lodged a complaint with the HSR Layout police on October 21, 2019. She wants the cops to give them protection and also get their money back from their son. The cops have charged the son and daughter-in-law for intentional insult, criminal intimidation, voluntarily causing hurt, and assaulting a woman.
BBMP is ready for the rains with Prahari, their mobile jeep equipped with everything they need to remove uprooted trees, and pump out water.
Prahari is an emergency response vehicle of the BBMP, and there are six at different points in the city, like Bommanahalli and Mahadevapura that receive the most complaints due to rain. From tree-cutters and pickaxes to ladders, electric saws, ropes and pumps, the six Praharis are at your service.
In addition, BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar is particularly cautioning riders. “I request all motorists, especially 2-wheeler riders, to ride carefully,” he has tweeted. “Road rage is no answer to slow traffic movement due to rains. Don’t ride on footpaths.”
Call BBMP Control Room at 080-22221181, 22975595, 22100031 & 22100032 for assistance.
The residents and the traffic police in Sector 4 are having a tough time with a perplexing issue: to barricade or not barricade. The issue is about avoiding accidents by placing a barricade on 19th Main to avoid vehicles rushing into 11th Cross. However, the cops argue that this would lead to more accidents, particularly at night. For now, the cops have erected a barricade on 11th Cross instead. But the residents are not happy.
The Sector 4 residents feel that the absence of a speedbreaker on 19th Main near 11th Cross (Kubera TVS corner) in HSR Layout is causing accidents. Just the other day, one resident reported a crash between a car and auto near this junction. The lady passenger in the auto was severely injured. When the Sector 4 Residents Welfare Association (RWA) took it up with the traffic police again, the cops responded.
Instead of a barricade on 19th Main, they installed them on 11th Cross. The residents protested saying that this is of no use as the problem is the vehicles approaching from 19th Main. “It is difficult to cross from 11th Cross, both from Bachpan school and TVS showroom,” said one resident. “It is better to put a hump on 19th Main.”
However, the cops said that the main roads are more difficult to manage with barricades. In addition, there is a speedbreaker just about 75 metres ahead. Initially, the residents had asked the cops to install rubber speedbreakers on 19th Main. However, when that would take more time, the idea of placing temporary barricades on 19th Main was given by the residents. However, the cops countered the idea by saying that this could cause more accidents, especially at night. One resident said, “If the cops are so worried about our safety, they should first apply white stripes on the existing speedbreakers that have faded. And some have not even been applied ever since they came up in HSR Layout.”
The argument continues. What do you think is a better solution, dear reader? Write to us at: residentswatchmag@gmail.com or whatsapp us now (+919880585748).
Kadal Da Meen, a restaurant at the junction of 22nd Cross and 17th Main Road in Sector 3, HSR Layout, had built a compound wall on the footpath abutting a storm water drain on 22nd Cross. Recently, the BBMP broke the wall to make way for the storm water drain.
However, this box drain work that began more than a year ago from 27th Cross in Sector 2 continues to get interrupted for one or the other reason. In addition, the entire route is unscientific as it goes through low-lying areas of Sector 3 that leads to flooding of homes when it rains.
In such a scenario, taking the box drain from 27th Cross to 19th Main would have been the most apt thing to do as it would have cost less time and money. This is one of the scams of HSR Layout. And you can watch more of that in the video below…
The residents are fed up of commercial establishments coming up on residential roads. It is illegal to have any commercial outlet on roads that are 40 feet and less. On roads wider than 40 feet, BBMP decides on what can be completely commercial and what can be mixed use. However, the commercial business owners either don’t know the law or they are willingly violating the law.
NAMING AND SHAMING
We asked residents to name some such establishments in HSR that they feel are a nuisance in their neighbourhoods. We also noticed some commercial operators in HSR Layout. We urge the BBMP officials to take immediate action or risk suspension or worse for dereliction of duty.
The Hall of Shame list is as follows:
Gopi Technologies, 16th Main Road, 22nd Cross, Sector 3
Braceport Dentistry, 15th B Main, 21st Cross, Sector 3
The half a dozen preschools on 16th Cross between 14th and 15th Main.
A spa on 11th Cross, 17th B Main, Sector 4
The list is endless… We will continue to add names to this list as and when our readers send us the details.
ROLE OF MEDIA AND CIVIC ACTIVISTS
The only way the BBMP is made to do its job is when the residents protested and forced shutdowns or the local media like us took it up and began a consistent campaign, be it for bad roads or restaurants operating in basements which is a fire hazard. The residents shut down a rooftop pub that was coming up in Sector 4, a restaurant in Sector 1 and a proposed mall in Sector 3. When this channel highlighted a shed coming up on 19th Cross in Sector 3, it was eventually demolished by the site owner after the BBMP officials surprisingly refused to give permission for commercial use. Similarly, they demolished another shed in Sector 5 as it was another violation.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
We urge the residents to first understand the law about not having commercial outlets on roads that are 40 feet and less. After all, the owners of commercial establishments in HSR Layout are either residing somewhere here or outside HSR, but very much in India. Therefore, it’s important that they know the law. Just because there is one illegality does not mean they can violate the law. As one resident put it so succinctly: “Those who violate the law are nati-national. I would even brand them as terrorists.” Right indeed, because commercial outlets cause noise, and air pollution in addition to parking problems and generating far too much waste, in addition to stressing the narrow sanitary lines, cauvery water connections and electricity loads.
This should not to be confused with people who work out of homes. They are by themselves and do not employ anybody to add to the stresses of commercialisation that we mentioned earlier. In fact, if half the people in the world work out of home, the roads will be far less congested and the pollution will come down automatically. So we should thank people who work from home. They are doing their bit for the environment.
APATHETIC GOVT AGENCIES
The worse part is that the BBMP does not take any action, despite being alerted about it. When one resident asked a civic official to take action, the person said that the residents have to write a letter to them. Why is that? So they are targetted by the commercial establishment? When this news channel writes about illegalities in HSR Layout, the BBMP officials give out our editor’s name. It’s as if we are the law here and they are obeying our dictat. Clearly, the BBMP officials have no will or courage to follow the letter of the law. Some residents have no problems being identified as the complainants, but it’s unfair to corner a few civic activists when they are fighting a larger public cause.
QUESTION OF PRIVACY
Recently, residents elsewhere in Bangalore petitioned the BBMP to take complaints from them without revealing their names to anyone. They wanted the civic agency to maintain their confidentiality. We would add that this should apply to the cops as well. But both the agencies blatantly violate the privacy rules and blurt out the person or people responsible for their legal action, complain residents.
The question is why should either the BBMP or the cops give away names of complainants when the illegalities are a public offence, not private. One cop confided that they are too small to go against the larger commercial interests, particularly when every other individual is ‘highly connected’. Therefore, they blurt out names of resident welfare associations, the media and civic activists to make a stronger case. Such is the delivery of justice in society today.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW?
Therefore, dear reader, if you spot a commercial establishment on a 40 feet road, take a picture, WhatsApp it to us (+919880585748) with the right address and we will add that name to this list, so the BBMP is forced to take action on them. Do not forget to inform us when the civic agency indeed takes action and shuts down the illegal outlets. In addition, it’s also important that you complain to the relevant agencies, so that your complaints are officially recorded as well. For BBMP cases, download the BBMP Sahaaya mobile app or visit the website of BBMP Sahaaya and register your complaint without registering yourself. Remember, each of us can make a better world. Just blaming the netas, the business people and the officials will not do. We are as much to blame for doing nothing about the illegalities all around us. As one resident put it: “Break away. Stand up for what is right, and all will be well in this world.”
If the smell in Somasundrapalya, Hosapalya and Kudlu is unbearable, thanks to the smell emanating from the composting plant, Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC), it’s just about bearable in HSR Layout. The stink affects different areas at different points in time, depending on the wind direction and also when the KCDC staff turn over the compost heap. That’s when the stink gets worse. And yes, the smell becomes all pervading and reaches up to Hosur Road and Nice Road, when it rains rhinos. This smell is usually in the evening and night, between 6pm and 12pm. That’s when either the heap is being turned over at KCDC, or the rain gods have smiled. So if you sense a horrible smell, the moment you step out of your homes in the evenings, you know it’s the KCDC to blame.
Fighting for the closure of the plant for over three years, the residents living in the immediate vicinity of the plant, in Kudlu, Somasundrapalya, Hosapalya and Sector 2 of HSR Layout, are planning to relocate. Efforts to reach out to the ruling government, both past and present, have resulted in everything but closure. The daily tonnage was brought down from 500 to 100 tonnes, but the stink remains, and so does the ground water contamination.
The residents are not just complaining of nausea, skin and throat allergies, but also persistent headaches due to the stink for over three years. Spraying lemon grass is doing little to contain the smell. KCDC’s efforts to compost within a contained facility failed several times. Additional expenses to make it a scientifically-run establishment did not work either. Instead, it polluted the nearby Somasundrapalya Lake that it also encroached for its operations. Now, the encroached area is being given back to the BBMP by the KCDC, so that the lake can be rejuvenated.
Over a year ago, MLA Sathish Reddy had proclaimed on social media that the KCDC plant will be shutdown soon. Before that, Rajeev Chandrashekar had made his appearance, just before the general elections, and promised all help. But nothing so far even though the BJP is in power now. Left with no other option, the residents have filed a Public Interest Litigation in court.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
In the meanwhile, the BBMP and social activists are educating people about the benefits of home composting, so plants like KCDC need not exist. Only the dry waste can be collected from homes by the BBMP, which again is recycled by entities like ITC. The kitchen and other wet waste can be turned into compost using several simple solutions available in the market. They are called by different names, but you could just search for ‘composters’ and you will come across enough products to choose from. Go through the reviews and pick the one that works best for you.
To get a practical demonstration of all the home composting solutions at home, head to Swachagraha Kalika Kendra in Sector 4, behind the petrol bunk near HSR flyover. They have a separate section meant to teach you on just this subject.
Here is some money-saving tip for consumers. By law, no shop can charge you for carrybags. A recent ruling by a consumer court has much to say about this rule.
The story goes that Dinesh Parshad Raturi was made to pay Rs 3 for a carrybag when he shopped at a Bata showroom. Upset with this deficiency of service, he reported the matter to the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh.
After the arguments were heard, the court ruled that Bata was indeed guilty of unfair trade practice as they were not supposed to charge any money for the carrybag.
The court’s justification went something like this, and it is important for us to note why Bata was fined. The court judge said that the consumer used a carrybag that sported the Bata logo and gave free publicity to the company. In addition, the bag was essential to packing of the shoes, and therefore it was wrong for the store to charge the customer separately for it.
The consumer court has ordered Bata India to give away carrybags without charging a dime to all their patrons across the country. In this case, the court ordered Bata to pay back Rs 3 and Rs 3000 as compensation for the stress and Rs 1000 as costs. In addition, Bata India was fined Rs 5000, an amount that had to be remitted in the Consumer Legal Aid Account of the court.
Therefore, the next time you step out to shop, know your rights. You don’t have to pay for the carrybag. And if the shops in the malls or standalone stores charge you, file a case in the consumer forum. Also remember that the carrybags cannot be plastic. They have to be paper or cloth bags.
