Rabindranath Tagore Nagar, popularly known as R.T. Nagar, is a vast area that has witnessed a lot of development in the past two decades.
After being originally developed by the Bangalore Development Authority in the 1970s, the adjoining areas were brought under the jurisdiction of R.T. Nagar much later.
But the common complaint of residents here was that only certain pockets were being developed, while most localities lacked basic amenities.
Apart from MLA Layout and core R.T. Nagar area, civic problems are aplenty in localities such as Gangenahalli, Dinnur, Munireddypalya, Sultanpalya, Kanakanagar, V.N. Halli, Anand Nagar, Manorayanapalya and Kavalbyrasandra.
K. Moosa, a resident of Ex-Servicemen’s Colony in R.T. Nagar, said most areas that were added to R.T. Nagar’s postal jurisdiction were revenue pockets. “Though, over the years, the number of people settling down in these areas has increased, there has been no real development. Most roads in the surrounding areas are narrow and congested,” he said.
The neighbouring areas are densely populated and this only adds to the congestion problem, given the narrow roads, said P. Raja, a government employee and resident of V.N. Halli.
He said that narrow roads, which can just about accommodate a bus, pose a major problem. “If there is a bus ahead, other vehicles are forced to wait. The roads are so narrow that it does not allow overtaking,” he said.
Promananda Elangbum, a resident of Cholanagar, said that apart from congestion, the other problems faced by residents were irregular water supply and power fluctuations.
Deepak Bhaskaran, who owns a catering centre in Kanakanagar, said he was dependent on private water tankers as his building did not have water connection.
“R.T. Nagar offers a study in contrast not just in development, but also in the way civic authorities respond to issues. This, I believe, is dependent on the demographics of the area,” said Chandrashekar S., a resident of Kavalbyrasandra.
Jagadish Kumar, Hebbal MLA, conceded that development was restricted to some pockets in R.T. Nagar. Most localities in R.T. Nagar comprised of revenue layouts and lacked planning. There were problems with garbage clearance and sewage and most sewage connections were let out into storm-water drains, instead of underground sewage network. That apart, he conceded that the area next to drains had been encroached upon with no possibility of any work and added that this was a common problem in most parts of the city.
