Bengaluru: If not for its restored lake and high-rise apartments, not many Bengalureans would have acknowledged the existence of Munnekolala off Marathahalli. From a closed community of a few houses to becoming a landmark locality for apartments, the area has seen drastic changes over the last two years.
Today, however, name any basic facilities and the area lacks them, say the residents. Among many issues the residents face, lack of good roads tops the list.
“Many years ago, maybe the BBMP or even the BMP, may have asphalted the roads in Munnekolala. That's all we can say of tarred roads in this locality,” the residents say. Mr Palani, a resident, says, “Ever since I have moved to this area, I have never seen tarred roads. We can’t even imagine what tar on these roads would have looked like.” One has to see the roads in Munnekolala to believe what the hue and cry is all about.
Munnekolala is on the fringes of Kundanahalli Gate and is close to Marathahalli, Varthur and Whitefield. A few km away from Munnekolala, prominent tech parks, reputed hospitals and premier educational institutions are located. Yet, the area suffers from bad roads, severe traffic congestion, lack of road connectivity, missing streetlights, clogged drains and poor garbage disposal system.
When it rains, it’s nothing less than a nightmare for bikers and pedestrians, as the area not only lacks tarred roads, but even footpaths. “There is no proper drainage and sewage flows onto the road. Especially on rainy days, we have to wade through sewage mixed water-logged roads. Since garbage disposal too does not happen often, there are garbage piles floating on roads,” he says.
This BBMP polls, however, could be a game-changer as residents have kick-started campaigns to create awareness about the need to vote in urban body elections. “We realised that only 25 per cent of residents were eligible voters. While many did not have EPIC cards, some did not have documents to enroll for voters’ ID. To get more people to vote for right candidates, we have taken it upon our sleeves to create more awareness,” he says.
Eyewash: As election date became closer, a few weeks ago, Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali ensured that garbage was removed in the area and roads were cleaned. But his enthusiasm to keep the locality clean did not even last a week. Mr Palani, says, “The area looked clean for only two days and on the very next day, it was as worse as before. Garbage remains strewn on every corner, roads are just sludgy patches and sewage still flows on the road.”
