There have been several efforts to decommercialise residential areas and make neighbourhoods a safe and calm place for citizens. But the issue is still plaguing policymakers and urban planners.
Several resident welfare associations and organisations have staged demonstrations and even knocked on the doors of the court seeking justice.
The eastern, southern and western parts of Bengaluru have been fighting the cause for close to a decade. In fact, in 2018, parliamentarian P C Mohan, CV Raman Nagar MLA S Raghu, along with the officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), had conducted more than five meetings between the traders and residents of Indiranagar, a place which has witnessed the highest number of commercial establishments in Bengaluru.
Even after repeated meetings failed to improve the scenario, Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara ordered regulation of activities in residential areas. While the drive gained momentum initially, it lost vigour later with only 715 out of 8,000-plus commercial establishments being cleared.
Taking a close look at the burgeoning crisis across Bengaluru and to provide a platform for citizens and policymakers to address their views, both Deccan Herald and Prajavani in association with DH-PV Citizen for Civic Amenities initiative have organised a citizen interaction programme at 4.30 pm on Saturday at The Capitol Hotel, Bengaluru.
The event will be inaugurated by Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun and will see presentation of views by urban experts V Ravichandar, Indiranagar RWA collective i-Change Indiranagar member Swarna Venkataraman, along with BBMP officials — G M Ravindra, Joint Commissioner (East), BBMP; R Prasad, Additional Director (Town Planning); Manoranjan Hegde (Chief Health Officer) and B S Prasad, Chief Engineer (East).