A large number of motorists were left exasperated on Monday morning as the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s fifth round of the city caused snarls in the Central Business District during peak traffic hours. A cornered Chief Minister later announced that he will tour the city on Sundays to reduce inconvenience to the public.
Areas where traffic piled up in the morning included Infantry Road, M.G. Road and Richmond Town.
Abilash C., who was on his way to work, was stuck in traffic on M.G. Road for over 20 minutes. “Why does the Chief Minister have to cause so much inconvenience on a Monday morning? There is little point of these visits as all the officials seem to be prepared and have prior information of the places he is visiting,” he said.
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Another commuter Nishita G. said that the public are aware that the rounds are merely a “publicity stunt” in the run-up to the civic elections.
While Mr Siddaramaiah inspected various projects in Shanthinagar and Shivajinagar Assembly constituency, he also made several unscheduled stops to receive bouquets and garlands from party workers. At one stop, some residents of Cambridge Layout also presented bouquets and demanded a “clean city”.
The Chief Minister claimed that he would continue his rounds even after the elections and hopes to make the city “world class”. Meanwhile, elected representatives accompanying Mr Siddaramaiah were busy calculating the possible increase in the number of votes after Monday’s round.
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Long wait for pregnant women Several pregnant women, who turned up for a routine check up, got stuck in long queues at the Halasuru Referral Hospital. With doctors busy preparing for the Chief Minister’s visit to the hospital, some complained of the long wait.
Another disappointed lot were a group of students of a government school in Neelasandra who had to wait in a drizzle. When Mr Siddaramaiah’s convoy approached, the Kannada anthem began playing, but the chief minister did not stop to greet the children.
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The only outcome of CM’s city rounds is creating traffic snarls: HDK
Ejipura’s woes
Nearly two-and-a-half years after thousands of residents of Ejipura's Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quarters lost their homes in a demolition drive, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah got a feel of their angst when he stopped to speak to them.
They complained that many of them continued to live on the streets, some in tents made of flex banners and others grumbled that they were no longer able to afford the high rents.
Muniswamy, who now lives with his wife and two children on the streets, said, “When they razed our homes, they promised new ones in one-and-a-half years. We are still waiting,” he said.
Mr Siddaramaiah blamed the delay on legal hurdles and promised that the work would be completed in 18 months.
Policy on hoardings
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday touched upon the need for a policy on hoardings. He directed the BBMP to remove unauthorised hoardings. As per the BBMP, there are 1,395 unauthorised hoardings. However, city in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the estimate is an underestimate. The CM promised to look into a proposal submitted by the BBMP to increase rates for hoardings.
Rain brings misery
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah got an earful from residents of an upscale apartment in Domlur and also from residents of Anepalya, who complained about the lack of rain preparedness. Residents of Anepalya complained that for decades their lives have been coming to a standstill during rains, as their homes are inundated and sewage seeps in. Residents of Natasha Golf View Apartments in Domlur said that water from the adjoining Storm Water Drain entered their complex after the compound wall broke in April due to heavy rain flooding several homes. Residents complained that they were forced to live without electricity for three days. Mr Siddaramaiah directed officials to construct a retaining wall along the SWD by July 15.
‘Will seek Defence land’
Some stretches of land belonging to the Ministry of Defence in the Shanthinagar Assembly constituency for decades have housed religious institutes as well as homes. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he would urge Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to hand over the land to the State government.
What happened on Monday
* Visits biogas plant at Ulsoor; directs BBMP officials to cleat contractors’ bills and ensure that the plant is operational in a month. He says four of 10 biogas plants are ready.
* Visits Nandan Ground in Austin Town. Residents seek a bigger ground. Adjoining area is police corporation land. CM promises alternative arrangements.
* Visits Halasuru Referral Hospital. Officials propose upgrading it to a multispecialty hospital. CM says proposal would be discussed at the government level
* Richards Square, next to Russell Market, to house a food park and BBMP shopping complex
* Inspects drain on Broadway Road and urges authorities to de-silt it
* A super specialty multi-storeyed hospital to come up on Broadway Road at a cost of Rs. 12 crore, Narayana Hrudayalaya to spend Rs. 20 crore on machines
* Renovation of Johnson Market. CM directs officials to again call for tenders on PPP model