Vidyaranyapura: Once favourite hub, but now craves for attention

Sanjay R. Murty | NT

Vidyaranyapura is a well-known locality in the nor ther n par t of Bengaluru. In its early years, it was inhabited mostly by employees of public sector units (PSUs) such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) and National Tuberculosis Institute (NTI). Many other private layouts also fall under the Vidyaranyapura ward jurisdiction.

The Vidyaranyapura ward includes major portions of Vidyaranyapura, Kodigehalli, the GKVK campus, besides Thindlu and several small layouts. Although the ward does not seem to have major civic issues, it is not free from problems. Several minor problems need the attention of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and other service providers including Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

The core area of Vidyaranyapura has been maintained better than the private layouts and the peripheral parts of the ward. Here, like any other areas or wards, roads are periodically dug up by not only government agencies but also private telecom service providers. While the Bescom dug up the road for laying underground cables, the BWSSB dug them up to either replace old underground (UGD) pipes or for laying pipes to supply Cauvery water to the locals. However, neither the Bescom nor the BWSSB authorities bothered to restore the roads that they dug up. Indiscriminate digging of roads by private telecom service providers has become a nuisance for people residing here. There have been umpteen instances of water pipes or electric cables being damaged while digging the many roads in Vidyaranyapura.

For example, a few road stretches that were dug up at Defence Layout and Saptagiri Layout are yet to be restored. Residents of BEL Layout 1st and 3rd blocks have been facing regular power cuts for the last one year. A resident of the 1st Block said, “Frequent power cuts disturb our work schedule as we are working from home. Children also need to attend online classes. We are left worried for the safety of our electronic devices due to this.”

The road along the GKVK campus is almost four kilometres long and falls within the limits of Ward 9. It is quite disturbing to see heaps of garbage along the compound wall of the sprawling and green campus. It is alleged that a few irresponsible residents throw garbage along the compound wall instead of handing it over to pourakarmikas who collect garbage from people’s door.

Another resident of BEL Layout 3rd Block said that the solid waste collection process in the layout is regular. “Water supply during summer months is a bit of a problem. Some houses end up having to buy water from tankers,” she added.

One can see garbage dumped also along the railway tracks near Rajiv Gandhi Nagar. There is nothing to celebrate about the condition of the footpath along the GKVK compound. This place has become an open toilet for lazy citizens to attend to nature’s call.

The BBMP Indoor Sports Complex in Vidyaranyapura was inaugurated in early 2020. It is situated in BEL Layout 4th Block and consists of a football ground, basketball court, swimming pool and a skating rink in the premises apart from the indoor sports complex. However, a small portion of this space was allocated to build an open-air gym. It is located next to the skating rink and the equipment has already been installed, but this facility has not been inaugurated and, as a result, has been left unused. The space around the equipment is ill-maintained, leading to the growth of thick weeds. This has also made the space less accessible to people.

V Shridhara Murthy, a resident of Ananda Layout near Thindlu, opines that the facilities have improved over the years. “I do not have many complaints. Compared to previous years, the condition is much better now” he said.

Meanwhile, Vidyaranyapura ward nodal officer Shivakumar said that apart from a few black spots “here and there”, the garbage scenario in the ward is well under control. “Power outages are due to the laying of underground cables by Bescom. This is also one of the main reasons for disruption in the regular water supply schedule. Underground cabling work often causes some damage to the water supply network. They are being attended to regularly,” he added.<