Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWA) and citizens, on Saturday met Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao and representatives of other agencies, like the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Transport Department, to discuss problems ranging from traffic jams to lack of facilities for pedestrians, unchecked commercial activities in residential areas and corruption.
The purpose of the meeting, said Mr. Rao, was to come up with short-term measures to improve the quality of life in the city “We held this meeting with the public as advised by the chief minister.”
Traffic dominated the discussion with frustrated residents citing hour-long jams, bad roads and congestion that make their daily commute to work a nightmare.
Rajagopal C., a public relations officer who works in Whitefield, said, “It takes us more than three hours to reach ITPL from Marathahalli bridge (8.1km). Roads are being dug up on both sides for the laying of cables. Apart from this, many pedestrians don’t follow rules.”
Residents of HSR Layout had similar experiences to share. A member of the RWA said that as the area is sandwiched between Bellandur and Silk Board, they have to contend with traffic jams and poor air quality.
A retired army officer, A.R. Nambiar, who is from HSR layout, said, “The roads are overtaken by commercial activities. The side of the roads are being blocked by parked vehicles hindering the flow of traffic. Motorists honk indiscriminately. Even though air horns are prohibited, they are rampant.”
In response to complaints of noise and air pollution, an official from the KSPCB said, “We are coming up with measures to control pollution levels in the city. Every vehicle owner must get a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate..”
Mr. Rao said that the police alone will not be able to bring about change. “All departments, like the BBMP, BMTC, KSPCB, and BDA, are stakeholders when it comes to traffic-related issues. Suggestions discussed at the meeting will be organised and sent to the relevant department,” he said.
Short-term solutions
Residents also highlighted the problems caused by schools with buses parked outside the gate blocking traffic in the neighbourhood.
The police department has urged citizens to send of their problems and suggestions to acpplanningoffice@gmail.com .
RWAs said they will hold the police commissioner to his promises.
“We will make Bengaluru a safe city. Citizens’ demands will be addressed to the maximum. We will always empower citizens who support us,” Mr. Rao said.
Citizens demand better pedestrian infrastructure
Manjula Sridhar, a resident of BTM Layout, said, “We have no footpaths to walk on. The street vendors think that the footpath is their personal space. We are forced to walk on the road where there is the danger of being knocked down by motorists.”
The rise of paying guest (PG) accommodation in the area and unchecked construction activities were also raised.
“The authorities are allowing buildings with multiple floors to come up on small sites. It’s a blatant violation and the BBMP is doing nothing about it. There are 60 people in a 30x40 site. The load on the drains is unimaginable. There is also a lack of parking space. Motorists park in front of homes. The BBMP needs to enforce rules and knock down the PG buildings,” said one resident.
