Jalahalli Ward: Swamped by construction debris

By Sanjay R Murty | NT

Jalahalli ward is often confused with Jalahalli Cross. The latter is the name given to the junction on Tumakuru Road where one needs to take a turn to reach the former. Jalahalli is familiar to most Bengalureans, especially for housing two prominent public sector firms, namely Hindustan Machine Tools and Bharat Electronics Limited.

Jalahalli (Ward 16) includes Jalahalli village, Bahubali Nagar, Sharadamba Nagar, HMT estate and a part of BEL Colony. The ward is a part of the Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly Constituency. It falls under BBMP’s RR Nagar Zone and Yeshwanthpur Division.

The vast area under HMT Complex is largely neglected. Some houses of HMT quarters are occupied. HMT area’s thoroughfares are beautiful tree-lined stretches, but some parts of these roads are littered with debris on either side. A prominent issue here is the dumping of waste, mainly construction debris, on the roadside.

The road leading to HMT Watch Factory has become a dumping yard, especially near the railway overbridge. The Watch Factory was closed long ago and wears a deserted look. Some structures are in a dilapidated condition and there is garbage strewn all over the place. The rest of the HMT Complex is sparsely populated, which may be a reason for it being neglected. The ward’s Nodal Officer told News Trail that he was neither aware of this problem nor had he received any complaints related to it.

There is nothing to celebrate about the condition of the roads here. The stretch between HMT Hospital and Kammagondanahalli Bridge is full of potholes and craters. Several large ones even force BMTC buses to halt and proceed with caution. This stretch needs immediate attention as it is a major connecting road for commuters to reach Jalahalli West, Jalahalli Cross and nearby areas.

Residents of Bahubali Nagar seem to have their water supply sorted. Ganesh, an old resident of the area, told News Trail that there is Cauvery water supply every alternate day. In addition, there is a separate network of water supply from borewells in the area. He said that they are not charged for the water obtained through this network, which was an initiative of the MLA.

Although the garbage collection is regular, there are several ‘black spots’ in the areas of Bahubali Nagar, Sharadamba Nagar and Jalahalli village. Jalahalli Ward Nodal Officer told News Trail that separate days have been allocated for the collection of dry and wet waste.

However, residents of the area disagree. A Jalahalli village resident said, “Segregation of solid waste at source is not strictly enforced in the area, especially by the residents.” He said that while the collection process is regular, segregation is not done properly. “Since most residents do not segregate, there is no use even if few of us do,” he added. Some residents reportedly dump their household waste on street corners and along compound walls instead of handing it to Pourakarmikas.

Pipeline Road is between Bahubali Nagar and BEL Colony compound. Some motorists drive fast on this stretch. Sometimes, they fail to notice a road hump and that leads to accidents. This is more likely when it rains. A resident who lives near Pipeline Road said that several requests had been made to the BBMP to get the hump painted or fix reflectors on them. According to him, BBMP authorities told them in response that this was under the purview of the traffic police. “Three motorists fell down at this spot on Thursday,” he added.

Citizens here feel that the crime is well under control in the ward. “There used to be a few rare cases of chainsnatching, which have reduced now,” a resident said.

Like in many other wards in Bengaluru, it is the MLA who calls the shots here. The MLA of Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly Constituency has gained popularity by introducing a parallel water-supply network that provides water from borewells free of charge. He reportedly helped the locals during the pandemic with ration kits, pushcarts and other means to sustain their livelih