Whitefield: Rising against civic apathy

BENGALURU: When MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission) made it to Mars last year, techies working in Electronics City and Whitefield circulated jokes that the spacecraft had reached the planet even before they could cross Central Silk Board Junction and ECC Road. It may have made a good laugh, but the problems of commuters in Whitefield are no laughing matter. Narrow roads, further constrained by parked vehicles of visitors to tech parks, offices, banks and schools in this suburb have crunched space availability. And this is one among the many infrastructure woes that have plagued the locality.

The anomaly lies with the government agencies, which give permissions to new constructions without checking if the builders are providing basic facilities like parking space, points out Anjali Saini, a civic activist in Whitefield.     

“Big organisations like the State Bank of India are being given licences, but none of the government agencies are concerned what happens after the buildings come up. About 50 new schools have got permits, but none have parking facility. Even the big tech parks instruct visitors to park outside their premises. As a result, vehicles occupy both sides of the roads which are already narrow,” she said.

When the state government announced a signal free corridor in Whitefield, which was supposed pass via Yemalur, Marathahalli, Hope Farm, Kundanahalli and Varthur, the residents hoped their commuting woes would ease. Except the Rs 140 crore, which was released for the project and spent, the project remained on paper. The ground reality is that of potholed, slushy roads, which have not been asphalted for years and get flooded every time it rains.

“The Shell-Nellurahalli Road and ECC Road pose worst problems and unfortunately they also witness heavy traffic. Yet, they are in pathetic a condition,” Anjali said. This time, the residents have come up with their own manifesto, instead of relying on political parties. Apart from identifying major civic concerns, the members of Whitefield Rising have also offered solutions.

They have suggested that a dedicated pothole filling vehicle be allotted for Whitefield, focus should be on road maintenance and erring cabbies should be dealt with iron hand. They have also stressed on improving solid waste management, maintenance of streetlights, toilets and bus shelters.