Garment streetb in Bangalore has just one public water tap

Garment streetb in Bangalore has just one public water tap
Published: Monday, Sep 27, 2010, 8:57 IST
By Sajjan Raj Mehta | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA


If you want to see employers and workers queuing up with plastic pots before a public tap, come to Mamulpet in Chickpet, the garment hub of ‘hale Bengaluru’ (old Bangalore).

These is where people owning about 12,000 shops and establishment works give crores of rupees as revenue to the government but are left at the mercy of a single water tap of Cauvery to quench their thirst. Most of the time, the tap gives air and some times water and people’s productive time is spent in long wait to collect water.

“We’ve exhausted our patience,” sputters R Samba, chairman of Bengaluru (Mamulpet) Vyapari Sangathan. “Two days ago, we brought MLA Dinesh Gundurao and local corporator to see for themselves the decayed ambience of this place. Besides water, sanitation is a problem. We told them we will start an agitation if arrangement is not made for water. They assuredhelp,” said Samba.

‘Lack of will,’ ‘lack of planning’ and ‘plain indifference’ are the common comments made by people and traders around. Even on normal days, life is hard when it rains and becomes unimaginable as it happened on Friday night.“Maybe since we are small traders, the Palike does not take much interest in giving us amenities,” says Ramu Bhagat, a trader.

He feels miffed that this place forming part of the prestigious Gandhinagar constituency gets rough treatment. “What is preventing the government from asking the BWSSB to wake up and do its bit,” he asks.

“This has been the situation for 10 years,” said Kant Raj, a trader who has his shop right behind the water tap. “Every day, I feel like I am sitting in Mumbai’s Dharavi street.”

“The problem is utter lack of coordination between different governmental agencies. Each one does what it wants and leaves the mess for others to tackle,” says Raj.
BWSSB should have set up at least three or four water taps or supplied water to shops at least once a day.

“Why should we pay revenue,” asks Samba. It is not just water woes troubling them. Irregular collection of garbage and defective streetlights too are serious issues.

Whoever wants fabric at reasonable rate comes to Mamulpet and Chickpet and it serves not only the local people but thousands of small clothes shop owners from the neighbouring states.

“It is a shame we have a reputed street for garments showing utter disregard for public amenities. It brings bad name to the street and the city,” Rakesh, a commission agent of Mamulpet, said.