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Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
First Dusshera, then Diwali and now Christmas. These aren’t just festivals, but also the days coincide with a series of deadlines set by the Karnataka High Court for solving some of Bengaluru’s civic woes.
But to what use?
Weeks after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had been told to rid the road of all the craters, a 22-year-old motorist lost his life while trying to avoid a pothole on 10 December near Kammanahalli.
The latest deadline? 25 December.
While the BBMP continues to claim that there are only 35 potholes left to be filled in the city, Monday’s mishap paints a different picture.
Here is what Bengaluru’s citizens have to say.
Suleiman, a resident of Rajendra Nagar in Koramangala, lives across the road from a garbage dump abutting the Regional Passport Office there.
He said that even though local authorities were trying to do their best, they were impeded by people’s lack of civic sense.
“After the recent high court order, work went on for two days. In fact, collection was more regular and thorough than before. But after that, everything has gone back to the same. If the people support the authorities’ efforts, the garbage problem can really come down.”
Another resident, who lives in the same area, laid the blame squarely on the public.
“I live by the main road where the dump can be seen. We see that the authorities are cleaning but people come and dump (garbage) at night. I have no complaints with the corporation. It is the people who are the problem.” said Kantamani.
“Living in Bengaluru, people in the HC, the judges feel the same pain that all of us feel, whether it’s the traffic, illegal hoardings or potholes or garbage. They feel the same things. “ said Srinivas Alavilli, co-founder of Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB).
Ravi Menezes, another Bengaluru resident, said that while the judgments were welcome, they needed to be more realistic.
“If it’s required to have a high court to make a judgment to see that things are done, then why not. At least there’ll be some movement. It’s a step in the right direction but it needs to be done more realistically.” he said.
According to Aruna Newton, a resident of Indiranagar, the High Court judgments needed to be more informed and based in reality.
Citizens have suggested a few solutions to ensure Bengaluru deals with its civic issues effectively:
1. Decentralise authority
2. Hold officials accountable
3. Address systemic issues
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