Hundreds of residents from areas like Haraluru, Silver County Road, Kudlu, Somasundrapalya, Mangamanapalya and HSR Layout Sector 2 in Bengaluru took to the streets on Saturday morning in protest against the lack of infrastructure and amenities in the area.
Residents, including children, organised a march on the Haraluru Main Road, holding up placards highlighting bad roads and the large number of potholes in the area.
"A walk or drive through our locality will show the conditions we live in. Our elected representatives and officials have failed us. If they had done their job properly and had taken proactive steps to address our concerns long-standing concerns. We would not have been on the streets along with our children to raise our voices and demand our rights for a better locality and better living conditions," a letter by residents led by Ramakrishna Reddy, President of the Haraluru Somasundrapalya Residents Association says.
In a detailed letter addressed to Bengaluru (Central) MP PC Mohan, Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavali, BBMP Corporator Asha Suresh, as well as civic officials working in Mahadevapura and Bellandur, the residents highlighted various issues related to road works, lake rejuvenation, garbage disposal, storm-water drains, safety and administration.
Their key demands included the widening of Haraluru Main Road, traffic signals on Birla Junction, flyover or underpass for Haraluru Road, functional streetlights in all internal roads, cleaning streets using mechanical sweepers, a ban on unauthorised digging of roads, ban on water tankers, and a skywalk on Sarjapura Road near Springfield apartment.
Residents also demanded diversion of sewage flowing into the Haraluru lake by constructing a separate sewage line, installation of CCTV cameras, cleaning and the de-silting of stormwater drains, among several other improvements.
Residents raised the lack of accountability among officials since these neighbourhoods fall under three different constituencies — Mahadevapura, Anekal and Bommanahalli. They also called for regular ward committee meetings and monthly meetings with officials and elected representatives.
The protest was organised by a collective of resident welfare associations and citizen groups in the area. The protests come just weeks after a similar protest by residents of Bengaluru's Mahadevapura for better roads and development of the IT hub in Bengaluru.