Bengaluru: Bommanahalli constituency which is famous for the newly developed HSR layout and the adjoining areas which are surrounded by IT companies and academic institutions, are reeling under traffic woes and civic issues that have not been addressed for the past many years.
Despite the distressing civic issues, most residents in HSR layout believe that money and caste would supersede the issue of misgovernance. “Bommanahalli and BTM Layout are dominated by the Reddy community and this will play a major role in this election. Moreover, money is also one of the deciding factors in the election,” said Mr Shivaprasad, one of the residents at HSR Layout.
HSR Layout falls in a low-lying area and was inundated in the last monsoon with residents compelled to stay indoors since the Storm Water Drains (SWD) built on 5th and 9th main overflowed and choked the layout.
Though there were plans to desilt the drains, nothing concrete was done thereafter. “The problems of HSR layout still remain the same, sewage from other areas is not being redirected which leads to major problems in this layout. This is one of the major issues for us in this election,” said Mr Murthy Indrakanti. Mr Satish Reddy is the MLA of the constituency for two consecutive times but many residents complain that he has failed in addressing the big issue of drainage and traffic jams which have become a thorn in the flesh of residents.
Though Bommanahalli is considered one of the primary locations for office goers, cases of theft have gone up in the past few years with the open sale of ganja in areas such as Mangannanapalaya an example of how the administration is losing its grip on the area.
“With every election, the issue of garbage and other civic issues become the primary agenda but once they come to power, the politicians get involved in a slugfest.
There have been several cases of theft in HSR and Bommanhalli zones,” said Mr Sandeep Hariharan, one of the residents of IPS colony at HSR layout.
One of the biggest deciding factors in the election is the shutting down of the KCDC compost plant that has neither been debated upon in the assembly nor been paid heed to for the past several years. Tired of assurances, the residents say that they do not subscribe to any political ideology and all they want is the shutting down of the plant by the new government.
“Among a lot of problems in the constituency, KCDC is a big issue which will decide the fate of the contesting candidates,” said Mr Kamesh Rastogi, a member of KHHSP.
In 2013, Mr Satish Reddy defeated Mr Nagabhushana C of the Congress party by 25,852 votes. Despite the huge mandate he got, the traffic woes that start at Central Silk Board and continue till AMR tech park were never addressed. The constituency will witness a tough fight this election too since the electorate does not want elected representatives to falter in addressing the civic issues. And they definitely seem to be running out of patience.
