Koramangala faces big city blues

The upscale neighbourhoods of the city are facing lot of problems, all because of haphazard planning by the civic bodies and lack of civic sense of the residents. Koramangala is one of those areas that despite rapid urbanisation, presents scenes that are eyesores. A storm water drain runs close to a park in Block 6 while garbage is littered everywhere. Citizens complain ofrise in thefts while streetlights in many lanes continue to remain on the blink and rampant parking leaves barely any room for pedestrians to walk

BENGALURU: While the city has urbanised at a breathless pace, the haphazard planning and lack of civic sense among the populace has taken a toll on even upscale neighbourhoods.

In the lane beside petrol bunk at Koramangala Block 6, a storm water drain (SWD) runs close to a park. The enclosure has been cut and garbage is seen strewn all over.

“This is the case throughout the year. One can see the sofas, mattresses and wet waste lying here. This has not been removed,” said Alok Verma, a local resident.

The residents claim that rapid commercialization of the area has led to increase in thefts and loss of tranquility it once enjoyed.

Despite mayor’s assurance of the replacement of the streetlights across the city with LED lamps, several lanes of Koramangala continue to remain in the dark.

“I have observed that some streetlights have been functioning erratically for the past one year, but they have not been replaced. At several places, I have seen incandescent bulbs being used instead of LED,” said  Abhishek Shastry, a resident.

Parking of vehicles is rampant on the lane beside the petrol bunk, which leaves hardly any space for pedestrians.

‘I will fix the garbage issue, install LED lights’

Q&A with Corporator M Chandrappa

There are complaints of garbage being dumped near the petrol bunk at Koramangala Block 6. Are you aware of this issue?
I will look into it. We are stringently implementing solid waste guidelines in my ward. I will get the garbage removed.

The drainage work in your ward is not completed and is causing inconvenience to commuters.
It will get over soon, probably by next month. The work was delayed due to the elections. I am aware about the issue.

There are complaints against the non-replacement of street lights resulting in darkness in several lanes.
The street lights will be replaced with LED soon. We will resolve the issue within a month.