The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Reader's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 02, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Reader's Mail

Check growth of the city

Sir, — The population of Bangalore is six million at present and is expected to reach the one crore-mark by 2012. Everyday we are adding 300 cars, 1,000 two-wheelers, besides scores of three-wheelers, buses and trucks. Realtors are buying residential buildings and converting them to huge multi-storeyed projects all over the city. People park their vehicles on roads and footpaths. Old people, women and children just cannot cross the roads or walk on footpaths. There are traffic jams everywhere throughout the day. Pollution is harming the health of people. It is also becoming difficult for police to handle traffic jams as they are understaffed and overworked coupled with lack of equipment. Further, power and water supply are inadequate. The city of gardens has become a city of garbage. The only way to solve this problem is to arrest the growth of the city. Permissions should not be given for any new commercial complex.

K.S. Krishnamurthy
U.S.

Load-shedding schedule

Sir, — Let the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited declare a timing for load-shedding in Bangalore so that consumers can adjust their activities accordingly. Now, we have load-shedding for about an hour at least three times a day. Despite power supply from other States, we have a shortfall and there is no alternative but to restrict power usage when the demand goes up too much. Let there be fixed timing in each area for load-shedding. This will make matters easier for people to readjust their activities that depend upon the availability of power.

D.B.N. Murthy,
Bangalore

Extend bus service

Sir, — I request the BMTC authorities to extend 77D/79G/77A bus service up to 10.30 p.m. because there are no direct buses to Vidhana Soudha Layout or Lakshmidevinagar after 9 p.m. It is difficult for women, senior citizens and children to alight either at Sonal Garment or Laggere and walk 1.5 km. If there is a night halt bus service, it will be helpful to the residents of Vidhana Soudha Layout/ Lakshmidevinagar. Will the BMTC authorities look into this?

S. Kumar,
Bangalore

Improve lakes

Sir, — I laud the efforts of the Lake Development Authority in rejuvenating and protecting lakes. The lakes found on the way to Marathahalli from Krishnarajapuram Railway Station on the Outer Ring Road are in a bad state. They are covered with weeds and are drying up. Some of them are being encroached upon. I request the authorities concerned to remove the weeds and build a fence around the lakes. They should not allow people to wash clothes in them. The improvement of lakes may lead to generation of revenue through boating.

Sriram Deshik T.,
Bangalore

Too many taxes

Sir, — Every time there is a fund crunch, authorities target the common man by levying additional taxes on them, without even giving a thought as to whether they would be able to bear them. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Budget for 2007 has proposed four additional cesses. If, however, the BBMP had not allowed all its wasteful expenditure on the maintenance of Bangalore's roads year after year, owing to the substandard quality of work carried out on them, there would have been no need for any fresh taxes. Why should the people pay for the inefficiency of departments? Multiple taxes are not only irksome but also exploitative in these days of rising prices. What's more, all these cesses ought to be merged into one tax for the sake of simplicity, and if this one tax has to be distributed under various heads, the accounts department of the BBMP could make suitable adjustments in its books every month. This would save a lot of paperwork too.

M.M. Kotian,
Bangalore

Readers can also email their letters at letters.bangalore @thehindu.co.in

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