Dayananda Nagar: Water woes a perennial issue

Located in the heart of Bengaluru, Dayananda Nagar Ward has many narrow lanes and by-lanes, and is home to lower-middle-class and poor households. Water supply is scarce in the area and women have to bear the brunt, as they have to fetch them from public taps. Many roads in the ward have remained unrestored after they were dug up by various civic agencies. Stray dogs are a menace in the area, and during nights they tend to chase people on the streets, reports Sanjay R Murty.

Dayananda Nagar Ward is located at the heart of Bengaluru’s Srirampura locality. It is surrounded by Okalipuram, Prakash Nagar and Gayathri Nagar wards. Ward 97 (Dayananda Nagar) lies a few hundred metres south of Malleswaram and is characterised by narrow lanes and houses huddled closely together. The areas of Lakshminarayanapura, Bhashyam Nagar, Gowtham Nagar and Dayananda Nagar are parts of Ward 97.
The ward comes under the BBMP’s West zone and is a part of the Rajajinagar Assembly Constituency. The area mainly consists of lower-middle-class and poor households.
Residents of Dayananda Nagar ward do not seem to be satisfied with the previous corporator (2015-2020).  “The corporator does not work independently. It is her husband who is at the helm on her behalf,” a resident alleged. They opined that the one before her was proactive and helped them even when he was not in power.
Nanjundeshwara, a resident of Dayananda Nagar, recollected the assistance he received from the previous corporator. “He had helped us get a Health Card and Labour Card. Our children received scholarships and several families were given food and ration kits during the pandemic,” he said.
Women in the area are affected the most due to the lack of adequate water supply. They have to carry water in pots and buckets from the public taps to their homes for use. Though they have Cauvery water connection to homes, the supply is scanty. The women of Dayananda Nagar said that water is supplied on alternate days only for two hours – between 11 am and 1 pm.
The garbage collection in the area is regular and satisfactory, according to the residents. “Dry and wet waste is collected separately by the pourakarmikas according to the schedule regularly,’’ a resident said.
Following the recent heavy rain, the shoulder drains and drain traps are being cleaned. Footpaths on some roads are also getting a facelift.
However, the problem of inaccessible footpaths on the main roads of Dayananda Nagar ward remains. Shops extend onto the sidewalks and make it difficult for pedestrians to walk. There is also construction material piled up on some footpaths forcing pedestrians to walk on the busy main roads.
Along with the narrow lanes and by-lanes of Dayananda Nagar, the area also consists of some conservancy lanes – as seen in many old localities in the city. These lanes are between two rows of houses and, in some cases, are gated and locked on both ends.
Some of the open lanes are kept clean by residents, whereas the closed ones often become places for dumping garbage as nobody tends to use them or complain about littering there. Such places also become the breeding ground for infectious agents and pests.
The ward, like most others, has several stretches of unrestored roads. These roads were dug up for the maintenance of drains and other civil works. It also has a few ‘black spots’ which the authorities concerned must attend to.
The workers living in the locality who arrive home late at night have often complained of hostile stray dogs, some residents said. “The dogs are not relocated to other places. They bark incessantly at night when some of us are returning home,” a resident said.
The authorities of the BBMP’s Animal Husbandry Department have reportedly told the Nodal Officer that the stray dogs of the area are being vaccinated and sterilised. According to the Animal Birth Control Rules, stray dogs cannot be relocated from their territory. They can be taken away for a brief period to be vaccinated, for sterilization surgeries or for other medical treatment. The residents were not aware of any such drives being conducted in the ward by the BBMP.
The BBMP School located within this ward produced a relatively good performance in this year’s SSLC exam. The student who scored the highest among the students of BBMP schools studied in the BBMP school here. It is noteworthy that this exemplary BBMP School at Srirampura is being run in collaboration with three private organisations. Its condition is in stark contrast with other schools run by the BBMP which lack several amenities and quality teaching.
Next to the Dayananda Nagar Ward Office is a building under construction. The structure is supposed to be a multi-purpose building that was commissioned during the tenure of