Karnataka - Belgaum   

‘Rasta roko’ for amenities

Expressing their Ire: People of Basava Colony and nearby localities staging a protest in Belgaum on Saturday seeking amenities.

Belgaum: People of Basava Colony, Vaibhav Nagar, Kalmeshwar Nagar and Annapoornawadi here on Saturday staged a “rasta-roko” on Bauxite Road, forcing the traffic police to divert vehicles to other roads.

They were agitating against the apathy of officials in providing basic amenities such as roads, drainage, street lights and cleaning garbage in their localities. There were many educational institutions in these areas, including a dental science college. Many new residential localities had also come near Bauxite Road. But, none of these localities had proper drainage system and street lights. Bauxite Road, which was repaired a year ago, was in bad condition now. Unscientific speed-breakers on the road had become a major reason for accidents, they said.

They blocked the road for 75 minutes and dispersed after the authorities of the Belgaum City Corporation and the North West Karnataka Road Transportation Corporation promised them that their problems would be solved.

Senior citizen Shivanand Hiremath told the corporation authorities that the people had approached all the officials concerned to take steps to repair roads and improve basic facilities in their areas. But nothing had been done. He said the NWKRTC had stopped plying city buses to some of these areas, particularly between Fort Bus Stand and B.K. Kangrali and between Central Bus Stand and Vaibhav Nagar. The NWKRTC had cancelled bus services in these routes claiming that they were not feasible. However, it only helped autorickshaws, which collected only Rs. 5 from these localities to Rani Channamma Nagar as against the ticket cost of Rs. 6 in city buses. Absence of city buses had affected the people.

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