Bannerghatta Road residents clean 600-metre stretch after civic inaction

On Saturday, more than 50 local residents and members of the Bengaluru Navanirmana Party (BNP) took matters into their own hands to clean a 600-metre stretch of Bannerghatta Road, running from Meenakshi Temple to Meenakshi Greens in the Arakere Ward of Bengaluru. The community-led clean-up drive was organised on the occasion of Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Jayanti, following months of civic apathy and unaddressed complaints.

The main road near the Meenakshi Temple had been heavily plagued by garbage, debris, and illegal encroachments for several months. These conditions contributed to rising pollution, posed safety risks, and created significant difficulties for the movement of both pedestrians and motorists using the busy stretch.

Despite repeated complaints and appeals sent to multiple civic officers, including the assistant executive engineer of Arakere Ward, no official action was taken to resolve the issues. This persistent inaction frustrated local residents, prompting them to resolve the problem themselves through direct community action.

The clean-up was a three-day effort that began on Friday. During the drive, the volunteers cleared the accumulated garbage and debris along the 600-metre stretch. They also removed illegal flex boards from electric poles and fixed damaged chamber covers. The residents and BNP members are now trying to work further with the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to address remaining issues.

Poongothai, a BNP leader, explained that residents had been writing letters to civic officials since February. Because of the ongoing official inaction, the community had to rely on citizens' participation to clean the area.

Local resident Joshua Sinto noted that authorities had previously refused to address the issue by claiming that the stretch of road falls under two different administrative wards, namely Arakere and Gottigere.

BNP ward leader Monika expressed anger over the situation, questioning why citizens must constantly chase officers for every single task. She raised concerns that if a major main road is left in this condition, the state of interior lanes and bylanes must be even worse.