Have you ever been rudely awakened in the dead of the night, as a loud sound resonates through your bedroom walls? It’s either the reverberating music being played in your once-peaceful neighbourhood, that has now become a hub of nightlife or some truant party-goers. Sad but true, this is the reality of what is happening to residential areas in the city. Old Bengaluru as the older generation would remember was quiet and peaceful with a clear distinction between residential areas and commercial areas. Now, with the ever growing lack of space, commercial businesses are thriving in residential areas, creating havoc in the normal lives of the inhabitants. Areas like Indirangar, Koramangala, which is being termed as an area with the highest intensity of joints, and even Kamanahalli and others quiet neighbourhoods are thriving on their commercial business and residents, sadly have no respite. The recent closure of live music venues in Indiranagar has seen a huge debate ensue. The city is all about its people, and many of them are angered by the lack of privacy and quiet.
Anisha Koshy has a had a number of random party-goers creating problems at her grandparents home in Indiranagar. She says, “My grandparents are a part of old Bengaluru who would go for walks at 6 am and 6 pm. For them, having a club nearby is very different and they are not okay with it. Residential areas have its own purposes, and when you mix it up, the entire purpose is defeated. I have seen random people knocking on their doors, buzzing on the intercom in the middle of the night, and even to the extent of throwing up in their garden.”
Koramangala once a quiet outskirt of the city is a happening hub, brimming with commercial businesses. Tharun. R, a resident of Koramangala says, “The blame of opening a commercial business in a residential area falls on both the resident that gives the space for the business as well as the business also. Every corner in Koramangala has a new pub or restaurant opening up everyday. I have seen almost five pubs in one lane there. I have also seen a lot of drunk pub-goers littering the roads. We have also had a lot of issues with loud music.”
A city-based student feels that having a pub near a residential area or a school is a bad influence on children. A resident of Hosur Road, Siona Benita says, “Having a pub especially near a school and residential area is a bad influence. Cathedrals and Baldwins is close by, and I have seen children going to these pubs. These pubs have restrictions till the age of 21, but most don’t follow it. I think these places need to maintain a strict code of conduct. During weekends, I find a number of drunk people hanging around the bus stand near All Saint’s Church. This has made it impossible for us to go out after 8 pm.”
Urban Planner Smita Singh says, “There are two ways of looking at this. I feel that a certain amount of mixing is good to add vibrancy to a city. Certain roads have blue marks which mean that certain amount of commercial activity can occur. Having said this, I think commercial activity has to be curtailed and you have to ear mark certain roads with proper infrastructure to carry out commercial activities. It should also be properly buffered from core residential areas. Unfortunately, in Bengaluru because the hierarchy of roads is not there, residential roads have become commercial. People need to sit down with the RW and identify roads for commercial businesses. Since we use plotted layout, we have 12 meter road which may not be good for these businesses.”
