After residents of the area filed a PIL against the civic body to ensure that no more trees are felled in the road widening drive, other Resident Welfare Associations are doing likewise
After residents of the area filed a PIL against the civic body to ensure that no more trees are felled in the road widening drive, other Resident Welfare Associations are doing likewiseu00a0
The residents of Sankey Tank area have shown true grit in their efforts to save the tree cover in the area and have done everything from climbing trees, staging midnight protests and even taking out funeral marches for the trees that were illegally brought down by the BBMP.
Saviour: Actress and actress Vasundhara Das, along with some
environment activists, protested against felling of trees at Sankey
Tank Road on Sunday. Pic/Ramesh HSCurrently, they are seeking a judge to hear their PIL against road widening and this has ignited a fire and is bringing in increasing support fromu00a0 Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) across the city.
Crying hoarse?Many RWA's, which till date abstained from filing legal complaints against the BBMP for not addressing problems they face, have now realised that the city has found a novel way to protest.
"Their approach is akin to Anna Hazare's fight against corruption. It now seems like only extreme methods would force authorities to function properly. Our area has not got a single drop of water in the last three years. We have complained, pleaded with authorities and even threatened to block roads, to no avail. But now, just like the residents of Sankey Tank area, we will take the extreme route to ensure our voices are heard," said Hidayath Ulla Khan, President, HBR Layout Resident Welfare Association.
City unitedRWA's from areas like Malleshwaram, Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Eijipura, Bharati Nagar, RT Nagar, Banashankari and Rammurthy Nagar have resolved to take extreme measures to make their point.
'We have been regularly complaining against the inaction of departments like BWSSB and BESCOM. We are facing regular problems and have not taken extreme steps yet, but it is time do something so that the authorities wake up," said Radhesham KR, a resident welfare secretary from RT Nagar. Meanwhile, others claim that the Sankey Tank residents have set an example and other areas will soon follow suit.
"We will not let the fire they have ignited burn out. It is time the authorities woke up and took action," asserted Harsha Vardhan, a resident of Basvanagudi.
Battle continuesSankey Tank residents on the other hand are still going legal eagle. "We are not going to stop till some serious action is taken. We are waiting to find a judge who will hear our PIL against road widening. But even though we know it is a long way to go before justice is delivered, we are pleased with the support from other RWAs," said Dr Meenakshi Bharat, who has been sphere heading the anti-Sankey Tank road widening protest.
