Malleswaram march

An initiative gets underway to get citizens of Malleswaram to become active in public matters like waste segregation, citizen policing and more.

On the morning of 25 June, residents of Malleswaram, accompanied by ACP Krishnappa, took a different kind of walk. About 30 of us joined Krishnappa and Inspector Aslam at 7.30 AM to walk around a few streets of the area, to highlight the problems of traffic created by garbage, debris, cement blocks and lack of street lights.

The walk was a result of a citizens’ meeting that took place on 23 June, again at the behest of ACP Krishnappa in his police station. During the meet, some of us met up with officials of BESCOM, the forest department and a few more officers, and put across the woes of Malleswaram residents. Amongst other matters, we complained that branches of trees that had been cut were left lying on the road causing inconveniences to the citizens.

While the officials promised to take action, the ACP exhorted all of us to be more proactive in tackling the problems. Which is why we found ourselves going around the area on the morning of the 25th, checking up on the progress and lending a hand. We were delighted to see that all the branches of trees that had been cut down on the 23 June had been removed by BESCOM. That was one temporary problem out of the way, but there are many more problems that the residents face.

The march was led by the vice-president of Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative (MSI), Mrs Nagaratna Rao and other members. MSI is the resident welfare association of Malleswaram locality that is in its 9th year. It was started by only a few citizens and has now become the nodal point for citizens to come and help solve their civic problems. We have regular interactions with the civic agencies like BESCOM, BWSSB, BBMP’s engineering and health departments and other agencies.

Many residents of Malleswaram were curious to see us walking, and expressed a desire to participate in the activities of MSI. We walked to the residence of the MLA Dr Ashwath Narayan, with a memorandum of some of the problems faced by the Malleswaram residents. He immediately called upon the service providers, especially the Health and Engineering Departments, to address these issues. He also heard the grievances of all those who had come.

The MLA promised to meet the residents of Malleswaram along with service providers on 1 July, which happens to be the first Tuesday of the month. This is also the day on which MSI has its monthly review meeting, this Tuesday to be held at the Hymamshu Jyothi School on 4th Main road at 4.30 PM.

This walk was successful in many ways – it highlighted problems of citizens and informed both the MLA and the police of the difficulties faced by the citizens and increased the awareness of MSI. It also brought home the fact that the work of all the departments is interlinked, and everybody needs to work in a co-ordinated manner to get the works completed on time.

The next task is to get all the citizens of Malleswaram to become active in the matters that affect all of us, like garbage segregation, citizen policing, helping correct the voters list, planting more trees and so forth. Only with the active participation of more and more people will it be possible to make Malleswaram clean, green and beautiful – a place that we will all be proud to live in.

We need to stop being the Swalpa Adjust Maadi people, and become vigilant, pro-active and responsible citizens.

Comments:

  1. S. Anantharam says:

    Thank you for registering me as a member of the Association. Kindly give the office adress and telephone no. etc.

    Asphalting on Sampige Road:-

    The streatch of 14th cross-18th cross
    is recently asphalted/to be finished.
    If this means a completd process, one can see the sorry state of affairs especially near Sai baba temple and near 18th cross-more so because of 2-wheelers parking. If the finishing is pending, then they should take up half width on any streatch, finish the same and then take up the other half.

    The depth(thickness) of laying seems to have no control. At many places the old skin has already started showing up.

    There is a sharp contrast between this and the laying on Sankey Road
    near 18th cross.

    The work done on 16th and 17th crosses(between Sampige road and Margosa road) about about a few years
    was seen flaking up in a few days due to poor thickness and quality.

    One is forced to conclude either the corporation officials have no control
    over the quality of work, or there is no set procedure or there may be an unholy nexus between the parties concerned.

    Many places, we see the the asphalted road is not finished with a top coat of coarse/fine gravel/gravel tar mixture. Do the BBMP have a clear cut procedure for asphalting? and if yes, why it is not followed every where?

    A few years back I have read in the news papers that one retired Military Officer in Langford town used to keep watch on the quality of asphalting in that area. Even today some roads are very good in that area.
    We should request the BBMP or through RTI provisions, we should get the procedure and norms of asphalting, and try to
    bring major deviations in recent asphalting work to the notice of the concerned in BBMP office.

    S. Anantharam

  2. SV Nagappa says:

    The people are to blame as well. Look at just 8th cross. The purakarmikas sweep and the nextday people put rubbish there itself. how can this go on. Please bring awareness to people to throw garbagein bins not in streets where dogs pick on them spread disease. Learn to espect pourakarmikas work as well. they work hard to keep you city clean. Only government cant solve problems people have to participate in it as well. Get a tidy town competition running and hope fully this will allow to people to have some pride in their surroundings.

  3. Roopa Sreedhar says:

    Dear people of Malleswaram,

    I live in Mathikere and am a regular visitor to Malleswaram. I used to feel safe in our city until thursday, 16th October 2010. TV9 had been showing information and warning people of Bangalore about 4 youths using attention diversion tactics and robbing unassuming citizens. Sadly, I became a victim too. I still cannot believe this happened to me.

    An unidentified youth stole my bag containing my DELL Laptop, Nokia N97 Mobile phone, and an External Hard Drive (containing official data & lifetime of memories of my husband’s family) from my car, while I was parking in 17th Cross Malleswaram, off Sampige Road, on Thursday, 16th October 2010 at 5:10 pm.

    I have lodged a complaint with Malleswaram Police station and have also provided them with the IMEI number of my mobile phone.

    I also spoke to residents and office owners in 17th Cross Malleswaram regarding the incident and got to know that theft was not new here. A bike was stolen from right under their noses just a few months ago. Car batteries, fuel and other items were being stolen regularly. Malleswaram was no longer a citizen safe area. What happened to me can happen to anyone. If a bylane in Malleswarm in broad day light is not safe, what can be more alarming?

    We have decided to lodge a complaint to Malleswaram police station as a group/community. The Bengaluru Police can make malleswaram a safer place by being more vigilant and timely nabbing culprits.

    Please help us to make our case stronger. Advice me on the proceeding.

    Thank you,
    Roopa Sreedhar

  4. subramani says:

    Sir, I am living in ur constituent, my residence No.M-125, 5th cross, lakshminarayanapuram, Bangalore 560021.
    Lost 1 Month we have facing some serious problem, our drinage bloked since one month nobody taking care about, we complaint several time, drinage water is blocked in side our passage since 16 days. Even pigs are not staying in one place like this but we are. Nobody taking care of this. I have my older parents aged about 78(father) 70(mother)how can we live there. Our house owner made several complaint, we are also make several time, even I walk in to the corporator house, she gave irresponsible ans.

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