Fallen trees, missing streetlights, bad roads disrupt normal life in RT Nagar

BENGALURU: More than a month since heavy thunderstorms hit the city, civic authorities have not found the time to clear a couple of fallen trees that are eating into public spaces in RT Nagar.

On 12th cross, Tanveer Firdoose, 42, a businessman, opens his gate everyday to the sight of a huge tree trunk that fell during the heavy rains in May . The tree fell inside a park damaging its fence. “Four to five trees have fallen in the locality in the past couple of years.But this one has not been cleared yet,“ he said.

Some blocks away, inside another park on 9th cross, the mess caused by a tree that fell over six months ago still remains. Even a broken park bench is not fixed. “The corporation's horticulture department has done nothing. I registered one oral complaint and two online complaints,“ said TRS Rangachar, a retired professor.

RT Nagar falls under the Jayachamarajendra (JC) Nagar ward in the Hebbal constituency .

The locality is home to a host of Karnataka politicians.

Another major problem in the ward is the quality of roads. K Seshadri nathan, 67, a resident of Thimmaiah Garden, said: “The roads have not been tarred for the past 12-13 years.“

And, given the huge traffic volume, the asphalted part of the road is thinning.

“The roads are dug up for some work or the other and left without repair,“ pointed out Dhanbal, who runs a car service centre here.

Drinking water is also a cause for concern. The ward faces insufficient supply of Cauvery water. “The water is supplied every alternate day , but only for an hour or so. The pressure is so less that it is a trickle sometimes,“ Seshadrinathan said.

Like most parts of the city, stray dogs are a scare, especially at night.Some incidents of chain snatching too, due to poor streetlights, have been reported. Some roads in the less affluent areas such as Chunchappa Block are extremely narrow. Most residents are unhappy about commercial establishments coming up in the residential area.