The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Malleswaram voters seek better civic amentities

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Malleswaram voters seek better civic amentities

Staff Reporter

Of seven candidates, four turned up for the meeting with voters
Contestants promise to be accountable and accessible to people

Bangalore: Poor condition of pavements, irregular water supply, incomplete development projects, parking woes, congested roads and poor garbage collection were the major problems the residents of Malleswaram Assembly Constituency wanted the elected representatives to solve.

Four candidates contesting from the constituency spoke about their agenda and what they would do for the betterment of the constituency, if elected, to a packed hall on Tuesday.

Malleswaram Swabhimanaa Initiative and Rotary Bangalore West had organised a face-to-face meeting with the candidates.

Of the seven candidates who are contesting the election from Malleswaram, only four turned up for the meeting. M.R. Seetharam, former Congress MLA; Ashwath Narayan from BJP; M.S. Prakash from SUCI; and Lokesh, an independent candidate, attended the meeting. Shankaranna from the Janata Dal (Secular) and Vijay Kumar and Chandra, independent candidates, failed to turn up.

Demands

The major demands put forth during the two-hour deliberation were basically about infrastructure. Most of the questions were answered by Mr. Seetharam. The BJP candidate did not have enough time to respond to the questions. Mr. Prakash left soon after he spoke about what he proposed to do for the constituency if he were to be elected. Mr. Lokesh, a first-time contender, remained largely silent.

Both Mr. Ashwath Narayan and Mr. Seetharam assured the residents that they would be accountable and accessible to the people. Both of them said that it would be a disgrace for them if they were not able to deliver what they had promised the people and promised to “work with commitment.”

“I have worked for the constituency for the past nine years. My good work, I hope, will make people vote for me into power again,” said Mr. Seetharam.

“If elected, I will bring with me accountability, accessibility and transparency. We need to take responsibility and set right the crumbling infrastructure problem,” said Mr. Ashwath Narayan.

Mr. Prakash assured the residents to attend to all their problems and ensure that they are properly represented in the Assembly. Mr. Lokesh said that he would seek the guidance of the residents and remain accessible to them if elected.

The session was moderated by Nagarathna Rao, vice-president of MSI. Meenakshi Bharath, secretary of MSI, spoke about the importance of having a dialogue with the candidates, which would help resident choose the right representative.

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