Problems galore at janaspandana

The poor condition of roads, the need to clear drains and irregular bus services dominated the janaspandana here on Monday.

A participant said that the road connecting Mangaladevi temple to the Hamilton Circle through Hoige Bazaar was in poor condition. Although MLA N. Yogish Bhat, who presided over the meeting, acknowledged the problem, he said that since the monsoon was imminent, it would not be possible to repair the road till November. However, he suggested that patchwork be undertaken and the potholes be filled as a temporary measure.

People expressed concern over the problems that may arise during the monsoon. With all the newly laid concrete roads having raised the surface level, many areas are likely to be flooded during the rains. The mud ramps laid to get to the concrete roads would be washed away during the rains. As a result, motorists would be inconvenienced.

Mr. Bhat asked the corporation officials to find solutions to these problems.

A resident of Bajal complained that underground drainage work had affected the bus services on route no. nine.

Commissioner of the corporation K.N. Vijayaprakash instructed an official to speed up the work and also warned that further delay would not be tolerated. The complainant said that only four of the five buses permitted to ply on this route, covering the Veeranagar-Faisalnagar area, were now operating. Mr. Bhat suggested that Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation could be roped in to address this problem, instead of approaching private operators. He assured the officials that he would back any efforts in this direction.

Hanumanth Kamath of Nagarika Hitarakshana Vedike alleged that the drains were not being cleared regularly, resulting in sewage overflowing in some areas. Mr. Bhat asked the officials to rectify the situation immediately. He directed the corporation officials to start removing the silt from drains at places where they joined the sea. He said low-lying areas should be identified and steps taken to ensure that those areas did not get flooded during the monsoon.

Issues such as irregularities and delay in ration card distribution were also discussed.

Mr. Bhat took serious exception to the absence of some officials and a few others coming late to the meeting. He said attendance register should be maintained and discipline followed at the meetings, henceforth.