Traffic, water shortage and garbage around metro stations make life tough for locals

By ​Divya Shekhar

BENGALURU: Retired army officer Chinappa, 70, lives in the Krishnaiahna Palya area of Benniganahalli ward in East Bengaluru. Parallel to his home runs a rainwater outlet that has been turned into a garbage dump.The sewage generated in the drain flows into the lake in the vicinity. The stench and mosquitoes are unbearable. That is just one of his worries.

The roads leading to his area were converted into one-ways after the Baiyappanahalli metro station came about. He now has to walk 3 km everyday for public transport. “The government urges us to save petrol. What choice are we left with?“ he told ET.

The Benniganahalli ward in CV Raman Nagar assembly constituency comprises 20 localities including Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, Hosanagara, Sadananda Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, Kasturi Nagar and Chikka Banaswadi. The area, developing rapidly after the Baiyappanahalli metro station's inauguration in 2011, is fraught with issues ranging from garbage, improper planning and traffic.






Resident and former journalist Gloria Paul told ET that not only did roads become narrower after the metro construction but there is also poor traffic management. “The traffic lights at the feeder road to Old Madras Road are very long, leading to traffic congestion in peak hours.“ Another issue in some of the less developed localities is water shortage.“We get water for two hours on alternate days. It is been like this for the past 4-5 years, with no signs of im provement,“ said Sandhya Devi, 30, a resident. The commercialisation of the area due to metro construction and real estate development has left little space for children to play. S Sarasa, 32, said, “To make matters worse, the existing open areas are often filled up with garbage. Our children have nowhere to play and they often contract diseases.“