Mahadevapura protesters want unified public transport options and priority to be given to suburban trains
The residents of Bengaluru's Mahadevapura today gathered at one of the worst traffic zones in the city to protest against the crumbling infrastructure and poor civic amenities, demanding that their elected representatives either improve the situation or resign.
Activists and students had gathered at the Marathahalli bus stop, wearing black t-shirts and carrying placards with the hashtag #MahadevapuraDemands, which soon became a top trend on social media.
"We don't have access to clean water, we don't have clean air, our roads are pathetic, people are dying every day. Our MLAs, MPs, and corporators have not represented the citizens' concerns like they should have, and (now) we're done" said Zibi Jamal, a member of citizen group Whitefield Rising.
"Elected representatives are to work for the welfare of the people. But multiple term elected officials and our Corporators have failed us," Whitefield Rising tweeted.
The area near the bus stop is known for its mammoth traffic jams and poor roads, where traffic moves as slow as 4 km/hour.
"We pay a lot of taxes and nothing is invested in Whitefield. There is a garbage crisis, and there are no roads," said one of the protesters.
Their demands include 100 per cent lighting of their area within 30 days, good quality roads, regular ward committee meetings, segregation and collection of garbage.
"In Whitefield-Mahadevapura there are no good roads. There's the Outer Ring Road, but it's always full of traffic (sic.). The roads are full of potholes. There are no footpaths to walk," another protester said.
The Whitefield area is home to many multinational corporations which further add to the traffic pressure.
As steps towards easing movement, the residents want unified public transport options and priority to be given to suburban trains.
They also demanded that lakes in the area be rejuvenated and saved. Just a few kilometres away are the Bellandur and Varthur lakes, both of which have made headlines several times in the past for spewing toxic foam and catching fire. The froth, a stinking cocktail of chemicals and untreated sewage dumped in the lakes, has become a regular phenomenon over the past two decades, forcing residents to stay indoors.