Bengaluru: “Twenty five years ago, we dreamt of a peaceful retired life. We did not want the noisy, chaotic urban life. Since nobody wanted to buy houses in Kammanahalli and it lacked any signs of ‘development’, we thought we had found our dream home. Today, we are disillusioned,” says Brig (Retd) Suryanarayan, a resident of Defence Colony (Sena Vihar) on Kammanahalli Main Road.
A decade ago, if the residents of Kammanahalli were told that the area would rampantly commercialize in five years, they may have laughed it off. After all, the Manyata Tech Park, Ring Road and Kempegowda International Airport were all distant dream projects. As city’s vehicle population zoomed, the unthinkable occurred at the periphery colony in Kammanahalli.
“Most of our problems started a few years ago when the BBMP decided to open a second gate of the colony for public vehicles. In a bid to avoid Mariappa Circle Signal, motorists and bikers started using the colony road. As a result, the residents are unable to walk or even cross our own narrow colony roads!” rues Suryanarayan.
And that’s not all, for youngsters, who avoid the main road to zip through use the colony roads. The Sena Vihar roads are now akin to racing tracks, said Brig (Retd) Manivannan.
“It’s extremely dangerous for kids and senior citizens to walk in the colony as bikers zoom past the roads. The peak hours are a nightmare, because the main road is completely blocked and we can’t get out or inside the building. We are all over 70 years of age and fighting a dangerous battle,” Manivannan said.
Another blow for the residents was the setting up of a bus stop right outside the colony, which further increases the threat of trespassers gaining access to the colony. While illegal hawkers have encroached upon the footpaths, unauthorized parking near a local eatery has further worsened the situation.
“It’s a big mess we are living with due to the BBMP’s decision to open the colony gates for the public. There is just one pedestrian cross at Mariappa Circle and surely septuagenarians can’t walk 250 yards each way, to cross a 30 feet road and do the same again while returning! Words can little express our problems,” says Brig (Retd) Krishnamoorthy.
The colony residents have moved the court hoping for some relief from the traffic and have appealed for closing the second gate. They are now waiting for an order in their favour.
