BANGALORE: Lack of Under Ground Drainage (UGD), open manholes and stagnant water are a common sight in Jayanagar 4th T Block. The area is very unhygienic and has also become the breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. Living conditions here are below satisfactory levels and could pose a health threat to those living here. Almost all the open drains are clogged. According to the residents of Devraj Urs Colony located near 4th T Block Jayanagar have been facing a problem with the sewage for almost twenty years now. However, there is some hope for the residents. Problems related to regular water supply have been fixed. They have provided electrical connections for all the houses.There are approximately 350 houses in Devraj Urs Colony. “The colony is built over an area of 25,000 square feet,” said Muni Sanjeevappa the local corporator. However, the houses are built in very close proximity of each other. As a result they are very crammed for space. To add to it the roads here are narrow and broken in a number of places. The drains here flow right outside the houses. To add to the resident’s woes, the drains are perpetually overflowing and the drinking water taps are located beside these drains. The situation will only worsen with the coming of monsoons.“Numerous promises were made by the government to remove the huts in the area. We are still waiting. The living conditions here are very poor,” said G Jyoti, a resident.“We have been living here for the last 40 years. Many political parties have come and gone. The concerned officials have made many promises to solve our problems, but once the elections were over, none of them bothered about our problems. They come and visit, say that they will fix the problem, but nothing happens after that,” said Muniyamma, another resident of Devraj Urs Colony. She also spoke about the sorry state of the drains. “The drains here are always blocked. It has been in the same condition for the last two decades. Though the officials visit us once in a while, they have failed to take the necessary steps. They said that they would provide us with proper shelters. We are still waiting for that to happen.”According to Jyoti (name changed) the BBMP has asked all the residents to vacate the area by next week. “They asked us to vacate our homes by June 10 as they plan to start construction of the houses they promised us. Where do we go after we vacate,” she said.Sanjeevappa assured the residents that the construction work will commence in the coming weeks. “The government has sanctioned to build the houses. While the work will be in progress, the residents will be shifted to another locality. The area is yet to be decided. However, I do not have adequate information about the budget of the project,” he said.
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