Residents of layouts in east Mysuru take out a march to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Monday demanding basic amenities.
| Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
Residents of about 30 layouts in east Mysuru marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Monday, demanding basic amenities such as supply of the Cauvery water, proper underground drainage system, and repairs of damaged roads.
Hundreds of residents from the layouts situated outside the Outer Ring Road gathered at mega dairy in Yaraganahalli on the outskirts of the city, and marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office via the Teresian College Circle before submitting a memorandum to the officials.
Demand for the Cauvery water topped the list submitted by the residents, who complained that the high value of total dissolved salts (TDS) in the borewell water in the region made its consumption unhealthy. The authorities should immediately take steps to supply the Cauvery water to residential layouts outside the Outer Ring Road, said A.M. Babu, president of Mysuru East Zone Residential Layouts’ Union.
Most layouts do not have a proper underground drainage system. The sewer lines are not connected to any septic tank or sewage treatment plant. In many places, there is a threat of sewage mixing with borewell water on account of the incomplete underground drainage work, the protesters said.
Electricity poles and other power infrastructure has been damaged, causing disruption in power supply. Similiarly, several roads in the localities falling outside the Outer Ring Road in east Mysuru, have been damaged and need to be immediately asphalted. In view of the large number of accidents on the Outer Ring Road, there is a need to install traffic signals at vantage locations, while introducing a police beat system to prevent theft, robbery and other criminal activities including consumption of narcotics in secluded parts of the layouts, they said.
Unlike the areas within the Outer Ring Road, where the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) collects garbage, there is no system for garbage collection by the authorities, lamented Mr. Babu.
Parks in the most of the layouts are in a state of disrepair and the authorities concerned should take necessary steps to make them people-friendly, by installing necessary equipment.
The residents sought to draw the attention of not only the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru and officials of the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), the Mysuru Zilla Panchayat, Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation, the Transport Department, and the police, but also Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as parts of the area fall under Varuna constituency that he represents in the Assembly.
“We are taxpayers. It is our right to demand basic necessities and infrastructure,” said Mr. Babu.
