Without the anachronisms of cars and modern appliances in stores, one can walk down the ‘old petes’ (old market areas) still expecting to find the families of Tipu Sultan’s soldiers buying their daily provisions. The city’s oldest business and trading districts – with history pointing to its foundations being laid in the 16 century – seem not to have progressed much in terms of infrastructure.
Amidst the narrow bylanes – where two-way traffic, parked good vehicles and pedestrians jostle for space – and haphazard constructions of Chikpete and Gandhinagar Assembly constituencies lie some of the most crowded areas in the city, including Nagrathpete, Halsurpete, Kalasipalya, Binni pete, Okalipura.
It isn’t surprising that the crumbling infrastructure that has reached saturation point is forcing residents to shift out. Many of these wards have seen a decline in population over the past decade. “It takes 20 minutes just to visit my son who lives a few streets away. Taking a motorcycle is nearly impossible,” said Jayamma, who lives at Kumbarpete (Dharmaraya Swamy Temple Ward – 119). Many traders say that their shops are not accessible to both customers and suppliers due to lack of parking.
With major markets in the vicinity, these areas see heaps of garbage in its small alleys. “Garbage collection is not regular. To add to this, sewage often overflows on to the road. As a result, malaria and dengue are common in these areas. The palike had not bothered to even fumigate the area,” says Fayaz, a fruit-seller from Okalipuram (ward 96).
At crowded Chikpete (ward 109), lack of street lights and stray dogs that loiter at night pose a big problem for residents, says Ganesh, a daily wager.
Though living in the heart of the city, most residents complain of irregular water supply. Veera Raj from Vinobha Nagar (Sudhama Nagar ward 118) said water is provided for a few hours every alternate day, and even this has a putrid smell making it unfit to drink.
The expansion of the city in the 20 century has seen pockets of planned areas, including Vishveshwara Puram (143), Siddapura (144), Homegowda Nagar (145), Jayanagar (153), in parts of Chikpete constituency which is criss-crossed by leafy expanses and broad avenues. Gandhinagar constituency, however, doesn’t seem to have even an inch of breathing space for its residents.
