Bengaluru: Twelve-year-old Hina Kausar had to be administered two bottles of glucose on Saturday morning after she complained of weakness, headache and stomach pain from Friday. "The doctor says that it is because of the food or water intake," says Hina, indicating her wrist where the glucose was injected intravenously. Despite BBMP releasing Rs 30 crore for the development of DJ Halli, no one would believe this looking at the condition of the area, which is steadily deteriorating.
Compounding the pathetic civic conditions, is the foul odour of tanneries which hangs over the area and poses health hazards to people who work and live there. More than a year has passed since the death of six-year-old Meghala who succumbed to malnutrition in DJ Halli, but, none of the authorities seem to have learnt from this. Showing DC's team around Karnataka's biggest Urdu School, Munassar Pasha points to the sorry state of the school. "This huge school which saw the food poisoning case has no proper sanitation and no latches on the ladies’ toilet," rues Munassar.
Right adjacent to the school playground, another garbage dump is on display. It is not just one single dump -- a walk through ward 61 to ward 47 is littered with numerous unattended garbage dumps. Throwing light on the plight of the residents of DJ Halli, a citizen activist, Narsimha, informs that the Maidana hospital area is fraught with civic and sanitation issues. "It is only after some death that the authorities take notice for a few days but again go back to their old ways," says Narsimha, who also says that the area reported 67 malnutrition cases at the health camp organized last month at DJ Halli.
Shoddy sanitation work along with flawed infrastructure is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to counting the numerous issues the area is facing. More than one lakh residents are left at the mercy of the elements when it comes to basic civic amenities. “The sewage water simply flows out of the drainage as it has not even been constructed. The work has started but has not been completed. During rains the plight of residents becomes really dreadful,” says Munassar.
The area has more fifty private clinics, which see around 20 to 30 people every day. “Most of the time our children get fever, nausea, headaches, which are very common,” informs Parveen, who is a resident here and also a health activist who has been fighting for a better life at DJ Halli. "Nobody comes to do the fogging here and the area is plagued with mosquitoes. There are so many dengue cases and the private clinics refer the children to Bowring hospital. Many children also complain of sudden fits. We have been running from pillar to post for some action on all these issues but no one hears our pleas," says a distraught Parveen.
