Rajajinagar's idyllic charm gone: chaos, crime reign supreme

Once famous for its undulating slopes, reminiscent of the streets in San Francisco, Rajajinagar is in a dreadful state

Vasudha Zora | NT

Bengaluru: The residential and business hub of the city, Rajajinagara is located in the western part of the city. It is surrounded by the industrial suburbs of Malleshwara, Basaveshwaranaggara, Mahalakshmi layout and Vijaynagar.

The neighbourhood was inaugurated by the King of Mysore in the year 1949 on the occasion of C Rajagopalachari’s 70th birthday celebrations. The area consisted of 1000 acres of land. Out of the total, 140 acres have been set aside for the textile industry, 40 acres for food production, 220 acres for machinery and 100 acres for chemical plants.

The remaining 500 acres of the land was earmarked for 4,000 housing plots. With a burgeoning population, Rajajinagara has turned out to be one of the most densely populated areas of the city. In recent times, the area, once famous for its undulating slopes, reminiscent of the streets in San Francisco, is in a dreadful state.

Further, sprawling shops in the area bring the neighbourhood's credit score lower. Sree Laxmi Ranga, a resident of the 2nd block in Rajajinagar said, ”At present, almost all the footpaths in Rajajinagar are in a broken state. This causes havoc during peak hours as many do not have a place to walk after coming out of buses or metros.”

Ranga further said, "There are many old trees in the area. Although the authorities have not yet decided to cut them down, they appear to be indifferent to the cleanliness in the area. Piles of construction debris are dumped in front of residential premises.”

Laxmi has been trying to clear the debris, some dumped at the bottom of trees but expresses her helplessness in continuing with the same anymore. She said being a working professional it was a painstaking job to clean up the mortar and cement always. The dire state of the 19th main road and the many shops that have come up on both sides of the road adds to the problem.

Street vendors tend to encroach on areas meant for pedestrians. Many of them are involved in the illegal dumping of garbage. This also results in health-related problems for the local residents. Reshmi Gopalkrishna is a mother of two, and a resident of the 19th main block.

She said, ”There is an abandoned property next to our house. All sorts of unsegregated garbage are dumped there. During the rains, the stench of the dumped garbage becomes unbearable. The place then becomes the breeding ground of Malaria, Dengue, viral infections and so on and so forth," Many residents also complain of potholes on the roads in their localities.

Despite assurances by BBMP, no steps have been taken to repair them. All this is happening even after the launch of the ‘ Fix my street app’ earlier by the civic authorities. T here has been no prompt response to the complaints, residents alleged. With none to address the civic problems, the residents are left to fend for themselves.

So far there have been no solutions to either the garbage dumping or the damaged roads, drastically affecting the living conditions of the people in the area. The people of Rajajinagara also have to contend with traffic congestion in their localities. The authorities, however, claim that things would improve with the opening of the other closed arteries.

Law enforcement authorities have also to deal with incidents of murders and theft in the area. With people's patience fast running out, the civic and law enforcement authorities are yet to come up with a time-bound plan of action t