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Located at the heart of Karnataka’s capital city Bengaluru, Shantinagar is a key constituency for the state in the upcoming Assembly elections. It has been a Congress stronghold since 2008, and the incumbent Congress MLA NA Haris has been representing Shantinagar for the past 15 years. While Haris told TNM that the people of Shantinagar are happy with the work he has been doing, the reactions from the residents of his constituency are mixed.
Among the most common issues raised by the residents are poor infrastructure that has resulted in waterlogging on Church Road during heavy rains and insufficient water supply in some parts of the constituency. Speaking to TNM, Suresh (name changed), a member of the Shantinagar Residents Welfare Association, said, “The roads are bad in parts of Shantinagar, but since it’s election time, some of them are being fixed. Since St Joseph’s College is close, there are parking issues as well, because students park on the roads rather than inside the campus.” Suresh said that the issues that he has brought up with the incumbent MLA have persisted for close to ten years, but little to no action has been taken to address them.
Apart from these civic issues, Suresh said that a community hall near Akkithamana Halli was demolished five years ago in order to be renovated, but it has not yet been completed. He said, “The hall was used as a venue for weddings and other celebrations, especially by people who couldn’t afford other venues. But now, they do not have access to the space because there has been a delay in addressing it from the elected representative.”
Another problem that plagues the residents of Shantinagar is the rampant commercialisation of residential areas. Owing to its proximity to educational institutions like St Joseph’s College and Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College, several paying guest (PG) accommodations have cropped up in the heart of Shantinagar. This, in turn, has resulted in several small eateries and tea shops being opened in the area, with students from the aforementioned institutions and PGs being the primary customers.
Commenting on this rapid commercialisation, Suresh said, “A lot of shops have also been opened in the area. They occupy half the road and traffic is disrupted. It's a nightmare for us.”
However, the vendors in Shantinagar feel differently. Jayanti, a fruit seller in Shantinagar’s 5th Cross has been a resident of the place for close to 20 years. She has been selling fruits in the area for two years. When asked about the complaints of vendors like her disrupting the traffic, she said, “Our shops are not in the middle of the road, are they? We are not disturbing anyone. Our shops are in the corner of the street. There have been no problems because of our shops.”
Another vegetable vendor, Shanmugam, also agreed with Jayanti and said that two-wheelers and cars have been passing by without any hindrance and that they do not want to vacate their shops for any reason.
Alleging that students from nearby educational institutions smoke on the roads meant for commuting and park their vehicles there, Suresh said that such behaviour disrupts traffic. However, students who frequent parts of Shantinagar have their own concerns they wish their elected representative would address.
A student from St Joseph’s College who spoke to TNM on the condition of anonymity said that she wants a pedestrian crossing outside the college. She said, “Sometimes, it becomes difficult to cross the road near our college, especially during peak traffic hours. Some students from our college and other people who use the road get into accidents because of speeding vehicles. Whichever MLA wins from this constituency must take steps to make the roads near our college pedestrian friendly.”
Some residents of Shantinagar also feel it is time for a different leadership in their constituency. There seems to be a general dissatisfaction with Haris as several of them feel that he has not done enough in his current term. However, they acknowledged that he was proactive during the pandemic and helped create awareness regarding vaccinations.
When TNM reached out to the MLA for a reaction regarding the same, he said, “We cannot satisfy everyone in a constituency. People will have their disagreements and I think they belong to a small minority. But I believe I have done good work in my constituency and will continue to do so if I win.”