The Hindu : Karnataka News : Poor infrastructure

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 31, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka

Poor infrastructure

Sir, — Karnataka is gifted with abundant greenery and there are places of great tourist importance. However, getaways need not necessarily be a pleasurable experience. While on a trip to Kemmannugundy, an otherwise wonderful hill station, I was shocked to experience the poor facilities there. I was allotted a room (Rs. 765 a night) without basic lighting. The state of the bathrooms was bad. An official admitted that restoration of power would involve time. The K.R. Hill station there is managed by the Department of Horticulture, but there is no tourist infrastructure to guide people.

Padmanabha Rao,

Bangalore

Traffic woes

Sir, — Vehicular traffic on Magadi Main Road in Bangalore is putting pedestrians, including office-goers and schoolchildren, to hardships, and bus parking on the main road has compounded the problem. I request the authorities concerned to convert the stretch between Kamakshipalya and Sunkadkatte into a double road. Buses plying towards Andhrahalli should be made to stop at Herohalli and an overbridge constructed for pedestrian crossing.

K.R. Raghavendra Rao,

Bangalore

Repair service roads

Sir, — By the time the Devanahalli International Airport becomes operational in March, the vehicular traffic on the Outer Ring Road from Ramamurthynagar underpass to Hebbal would increase manifold. The traffic woes would be compounded because the service roads on this stretch are either not in place or are in a bad shape. The authorities concerned are requested to address this problem at the earliest.

S. Kuppuswamy,

Bangalore

On flooding

Sir, — This refers to the news report “No more flooding in Bangalore” in The Hindu on December 24. Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner has said that there will not be any flooding in Bangalore. We, the residents of Kendriya Vihar (KV), off Bellary Road, Yelahanka, experienced flooding, with water from the storm water drain gushing into our campus during the rainy season. This was because of a blockage in the storm water drains beyond the culvert across Bellary Road. Repeated complaints to BBMP authorities proved to be of no avail. The blockage caused by unauthorised roadside cement pipe fabricating units has not been cleared. How can the public believe the statements of authorities?

A.R. Acharya,

Bangalore

Scrap charges

Sir, — The airport user charges proposed by BIAL should be scrapped. The fare of Rs. 675 for domestic travellers and Rs. 975 for international travellers may be “scientific” for BIAL, but not for users. Air passengers, especially domestic ones, will think twice before planning to travel to Bangalore by air because of the exorbitant fare. This will only kill the enthusiasm of air travellers. It is suggested that the charges not be implemented at all or reduced, and that too for international passengers only.

V.S. Ganeshan,

Bangalore

Impractical suggestion

Sir, — The suggestion by chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission M. Veerappa Moily to keep the HAL airport as an initial check-in point for passengers boarding flights at the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli is not viable. Passengers will first have to negotiate with the traffic to reach HAL airport from their places, and then again negotiate the traffic to go to Devanahalli. This would entail travelling time of more than four hours prior to departure of flights. The best solution will be to have a check-in terminal below the Hebbal Flyover (at the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation Depot), to transport passengers in special buses to the international airport.

S. Suri,

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