Out in the open

BANGALORE: For over years now, the residents of the Millers Tank Bund area have been subjected to an unhygienic condition owing to an open drain left unattended. Although sandwiched between the French language school and Indo-French cultural centre, Alliance Francaise on one hand and the Association of Physicians of India on the other, the stretch presents a grim picture of the administration’s apathy. Open drain with plastic bottles and garbage thrown inside, no footpath available for pedestrians and puddles of rain water on the roadside do not draw a pretty picture of the area.   The open drain greets you, the moment you enter the stretch. Heaps of garbage left unattended by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) after the drain clean-up, adds to their woes.“The drain has been left open since years now, with nobody to listen to our plight. The situation becomes grim when it starts overflowing after heavy rain. Once it rains, the filthy water flows onto the road. To add to it the entire area stinks and is very unhygienic,” said a tea-stall owner on the stretch.But those who are using the road have no other go other than to adjust with squalor, dirt, grime from the construction sites and garbage strewn everywhere inside the open drain. With no proper hygiene, the open drain also seems to have become the breeding ground of epidemics.The road has a couple of construction work going on, and this further adds to the problems. “At times, construction debris are also dumped inside the drain as it has been left uncovered,” said the stall owner. Moreover, the construction work going on in the locality has also added to the resident’s fears.  “The drain is wide enough for a child to fall inside and  get washed away. Specially during the rainy season, the drain poses a serious threat to our children,” said a construction worker. With monsoon at its peak, the situation has gone worse as puddles of accumulated rain water all along the stretch act as an open invitation for the mosquitoes.The drain lines the boundary walls of the Alliance Francaise and has been creating problems for the institution as well. “The water from this drain seeps inside our campus creating an unhygienic condition for us as well. We have complained to the BBMP several times, but no action has been taken yet,” said Joseph Raj, technical coordinator, Alliance Francaise.Moreover, a walk down the road towards the main gate of the institute is a nightmare, with broken pavement and garbage scattered all over it.“The stretch serves no purpose as far as it being used by the pedestrians is concerned. With broken slabs and garbage left unattended, it proves to be an accident prone zone,  especially since therecent traffic  redirected. Ever since the traffic was diverted from Miller's Road the area has become very unsafe for pedestrians. There is hardly any space to walk on,” said Joseph.When City Express spoke to C Suresh, executive engineer, BBMP, he said, “I am not aware of the issue. I will inspect the area and will make sure that the work starts on or before next Friday. I will get the drain covered as soon as possible.”